


The Fool and The King

by V_king2011



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-08
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-02-12 08:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2101953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_king2011/pseuds/V_king2011
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Left with Broken heart, Furihata had fateful encounter with someone he never expect to meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Warning: M x M

Genre: Romance, Fluff

Kuroko No Basuke © Fujimaki Tadatoshi

 

 

 

* * *

 

**THE FOOL AND THE KING**

* * *

**~Prelude~**

.

.

That was the very first reason that motivated Furihata to join the basketball club and give himself a chance to trying something new…

 

Seirin had claimed the title of the Strongest National High School Basketball Club the moment they defeated Rakuzan.

They have won against all Generation of Miracles members and their schools.

They really had become the best basketball team in Japan.  


  
  
A week had passed since then, and if he had to tell the truth, it still felt like a dream.

Today, Furihata was planning to meet her - Ogawa Mai-chan. She was a cute girl that had gone to the same middle school as him. But never once did she notice him.

Furihata planned to confess to her once again and hopefully this time she would reciprocate his feelings.

But…

 

“I am sorry, Furihata-kun!” She bowed before him in regret.

Apparently, she already dated another guy she met at *Goukon. Honestly, what could he do beside accept her sincere apology with a small laugh?

“I am sure you will find another girl.”

  _Another_ girl, huh? Hearing that word from someone you liked for years…it was painful…

Furihata knew he should’ve said things like ‘ _congratulations_ ’ or ‘ _I wish you to be happy’_ , but…

His mind felt numb, he couldn’t think straight. Despite how hard he tried he couldn’t get a single word out of his mouth. Mixed feelings of confusion, anger and upset filled his head right now.

Yet… if you really care about somebody, then, you shouldn’t get in the way of her happiness, right?

Then…why couldn’t he say anything?

“Ah, I’m sorry…but it’s pretty late already. I should be getting home now.” Making up an excuse, Furihata wanted to escape from there as fast as he could before the negative feelings could take over him, and make him say or do something he would regret forever.

He heard her apologize once more before he decided to turn around and leave.

_Silly, isn’t?_ He felt so dumb. Why didn’t he realize it sooner? The meaning behind those words she said…

_“I’ll consider it, if you can become the best at something!”_

 

That was a flat out rejection. She had no intention of accepting Furihata’s confession in the first place.

In the end, it was just an excuse, so he wouldn’t feel bad.

But… that excuse was the thing that motivated him to become the best all these past years…

Well… it was obvious really, someone like him is just good-for-nothing… He was weak, a coward and a crybaby. He was only causing trouble for everyone around him.

_I misunderstood like a fool…_

Those thoughts kept fuelling dark feelings deep inside of him…

 

_What… was I doing all this time?_ Was the only question running through Furihata’s empty mind, that emerged on his way home.

It may have started as a silly crush, but this past year he really was trying his hardest. He wanted to support everyone on the team, even though he knew someone like him wasn’t really needed. Suddenly, Furihata couldn’t help but think his hard work had been for naught. Everything seemed meaningless at this point.

He walked past the part of the avenue that was filled with tall condos and skyscrapers. All of them mingled into one crowded skyline.   
This was an everyday scenery, something he was already tired of appreciating. Nothing seemed amiss until he passed the last building and heard a loud bang from the small tunnel under the bridge of the train railroads.

Driven by pure impulse, Furihata decided to check it out. Some part of him was probably desperate to try and find a way to distract himself from a heart-breaking feelings he had inside.  
Because the usual him, his ordinary self, would never want to get involved in that kind of situation, much less wanted it to happen anywhere near him. The tunnel was dark inside; the only source of light was coming from the dim yellow lamp hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel.

The scene literally seemed like something out of a thriller movie. Suddenly, Furihata heard an eerie, maniacal sound coming from a stranger.  
  
As he got closer to the source of loud sound, the scene that struck him, was a group of people, possibly thugs that were ganging up on someone. Furihata then, focused his attention on the victim. He seemed quite small, probably around Furihata’s height, however due to the dim lighting the brunet couldn’t clearly see his face.

Furihata’s mind raced in confusion and his stomach twisted in repulsion. _Did I came across an almost-murder scene?!_  
  


“Heh, if you want to blame someone, just blame your dear father!” The male, who Furihata assumed to be the group’s leader pointed a knife at the young victim’s throat.

“Whose fault do you think our present condition is?!”

_This is bad! At this rate he’s going to get killed!!_

Furihata didn’t know what possessed him at that time. He didn’t care who or what it was, he just wanted to find something he could vent his frustration on.

Without thinking he leaped forward, ran with all his might and using all his strength he pushed the leaderdown.  
  
“What the- who are you?!” The man asked obviously startled by the brunet’s sudden appearance. Furihata tightened his grip on him, refusing to let him go.

“You damn brat!!” The man elbowed Furihata’s back, he could feel an intense pain coming from the point of impact.

“Don’t just stand there and watch you idiots! Get rid of him!” He gave an order to his dumbstruck comrades, the others complying automatically, using all their strength to get rid of the brunet.

_Furihata tried to endure their kicks and punches._

__It hurts…but in some way I feel satisfaction. The guy, that victim probably ran away long ago. He might not remember me, but at least I’ve done something right even though it’s pretty reckless.__  
  
  
Furihata could handle bruises from kicking and punching but everything changed when he felt sharp pain near his guts. Slowly he reached with his hand to the painful spot and stared in disbelief at the shade of crimson on his nimble fingers and blood flowing out from his wound.  
  


His brown eyes widened in realization.

_He was stabbed with the knife the group’s leader used to threaten the boy - the victim - before. The sharp silver object had penetrated him deep inside._  
  


The leader easily shoved Furihata’s powerless body off of him, the brunet felling numbness spreading all over. The shock slowly got replaced with fear as he witnessed his own blood dripping, dampening the ground beneath.

_Am I going to die?_

He was scared, many thoughts crossing through his mind, eventually one memory resurfacing.   
His match against Rakuzan.  

“Hey! What are you doing?!” In the midst of haziness, Furihata could hear an unfamiliar voice coming from the other direction of the tunnel.

“Shit! It’s a cop! We need to get out of here!!” shouted one of the leader’s comrades, he didn’t know which one. All of them took heed to the warning as they scurried away, steady thump of their footsteps echoing, leaving Furihata in a bloody mess. 

_“Hey! Wait!” Vaguely, he could hear the voice of the police officer that tried to pursuit the group, but to no avail. “This is Yamada, I’m in Section C, I need some help! There is an injured person here! I repeat-“_  
  


A foul stench of iron had filled the air and it didn’t take long for the brunet to notice, it was the smell of his own blood.

_I really am an idiot, aren’t I? That’s probably why I will die in such pathetic way…_

“Are you alright?” Furihata could hear unfamiliar voice calling out to him. He guessed it was the officer’s, but why did it felt like he have heard it somewhere before? Well… that’s not important anyway.

Before he lost consciousness the last thing he remembered was seeing the colour red swarming into his vision.   
  
_It’s probably a pool of my own blood._  

For the very first time Furihata realized - red is such a vivid and radiant colour. It was so beautiful and endearing that it had almost blinded him with amazement.

He finally understood.

The reason why Kagami always becomes the center of attention with people around him.

  
  
**~End Of Prelude~**

 

**Gokon** : group of blind date. Is a modern pattern for dating where a group of single men and a group of single women organize a night out, with the hope of forming romantic partnerships.

A/N : This is a prequel of another story of mine with title ‘Unexpected Revelation’

This is the new version after the Beta from Cas. I've learned many things from you and it really helpful to expand my knowledge so thank you very much for becoming my beta reader ^^ 

Last word, Thank you very much for reading my story. I hope you enjoy it. ^^

 


	2. Noticable absence

**Chapter 2: Noticeable Absence**

**.**

**.**

**.**

“Please wait a moment! Fukuda-kun, Kawahara-kun.” Both of the said males turned at the coach, right before they went ahead with their basketball practice.

“Yes? What is it coach?” Asked Fukuda as he stepped closer to his senior. Riko put her hand on her waist, the pink whistle hanging loosely around her neck.

“Does any of you know the reason why Furihata didn’t show up for practice three days in a row?” Although she asked in perfectly calm and composed tone, they could notice a heavy ‘Just-because-we-won-The-Winter-Cup-doesn’t-mean-I’m-going-to-go-easy-on-you-if-you-slacking-off!’vibe. Both Fukuda and Kawahara sweat dropped and made a mental note to never skip practice.  
  


“About that…we haven’t seen him since last week…” Fukuda tried to recall the last time he saw his cowardly friend.  
  
”Yeah, he didn’t contact me either…maybe he had an urgent matter or something?” Kawahara added trying to provide a reasonable theory before he suddenly remembered something.   
“Ah! Now I remember, he’s been talking about this particular girl in our year. You remember? That Ogawa-something?”

“Yeah! That’s right! Furihata told us, he was going to confess to her so we gave him some moral support.” Fukuda nodded in agreement as they both turned back to Riko.

“Don’t tell me… he’s skipping practice just so he can go on a date?” Riko asked with a sweet smile on her face, however despite having such lovely appearance, the boys still could feel a hint of anger and bloodlust emanating from her, which made them shiver in fear.

“There is a possibility he got rejected and skipped practice to mope, you know?” Fukuda and Kawahara tried to make an excuse.

“Heeh~ “ The boys were slightly surprised when someone folded their arms around their shoulder from behind. “What an interesting topic, will you let me join?” They stared with wide eyes at the male wearing glasses, who was standing behind them. The guy flashed them a peculiar smirk.

“Hyu-Hyuuga-senpai!!” Both Fukuda and Kawahara simultaneously gasped at their upperclassman’s sudden appearance.

“You’re telling me, he dares to skip practice because of some girl?” Hyuuga asked in a cheerful voice, which quickly took an angrier note. “…That damned Furihata!”

 “SHIT! How can an underclassman beat me?! I never had a girlfriend before! It’s unfaiiir!!” Hyuuga growled in anger and started gripping both Fukuda and Kawahara’s shoulders, making them shriek in pain.

“It hurts! It hurts! Hyuuga-senpai!!” There were tears in the corner of Fukuda’s eyes.

“My shoulder! You’re going to tear my shoulder apart!!”

“That’s enough!” Riko stepped in and hit Hyuuga in the head as hard as she could, making him comically unconscious, before dragging him back into the court where the others already started their practice. 

However, before she started her coaching, she turned to Kawahara and Fukuda and flashed them an evil smirk.

“You two… If you hear anything about  _Furihata-kun_ , tell him, he is going to experience  **Hell**!”

Her statement almost made them run scared – still, they nodded quickly while saying ‘yes, ma’am!’ both of them praying for Furihata safety once he got back. 

 

To tell the truth, both of them were also curious about the brunet’s disappearance. Furihata was not the type of person who would skip practice without at least telling them.  


They seemed unaware their interaction was being watched by a particular pair of blue eyes.   


   
“Haah? Furihata’s gone?” Kagami opened the wrapper of his first burger, crimson red eyes watching intently the sky-blue haired male who sat across him.

“Yeah, the coach was talking about it earlier with Fukuda-kun and Kawahara-kun.” Kuroko answered after taking a sip of his vanilla milkshake.

Both of them were currently sitting at their favourite table at Maji Burger, 24/7 fast-food restaurant.

“Well, even if you tell me that, it doesn’t really concern us you know? Frankly, I didn’t even realize he skipped practice in the last three days.” Kagami retaliated as he proceeded to get his first bite of the hamburger.

“Saying something like that is outrageous, Kagami-kun. Furihata-kun is still a member of our team.” Kuroko took the scattered wrapper off the table, squeezed it, making it into a round shaped paper ball before tossing it at Kagami, hitting his forehead. [glued]

“I can’t help it! That’s not my fault!” Kagami answered without thinking with annoyed tone.

“Moreover, I think it’s a little weird that he’s skipping practice without telling anyone. Out of the whole team, he’s probably the most scared of the coach’s anger.”[awkward wording]

“Well, I can see your point but maybe he had to do something he couldn’t talk about?” Kagami suggested.

“He would leave a note to inform Fukuda-kun or Kawahara-kun even if by mail.” Kuroko cut off the argument with a simple statement. No matter what, Furihata would at least notify Fukuda and Kawahara. “But… that better be the case.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Kagami raised his eyebrow, a little taken back that Kuroko made a hanging statement like that.

Kuroko glanced downwards with a sour look on his usually emotionless face. “No…somehow, I just get this uneasy feeling,” It was unusual to see him disturbed over something that didn’t concern basketball or the game. Kuroko was the type of person who would face anything with a straight face and a cool head.

 

_He must really had a bad feeling then…_

 

“You really care about them, huh?” Kagami lip stretched until a small, amused smile formed on his face.

“Eh?” His sudden comment made Kuroko lift his face and stare Kagami straight in the eyes.  
  
“Seirin team.” Added the redhead.

“Isn’t that obvious? I’ve been bonding with them for over a year, it’s only natural our relationship got deeper with each match we played together.” Kuroko put his vanilla milkshake on the table. “Aren’t Kagami-kun the same?”

“Well…you can say so…”

“I just hope nothing bad happened to Furihata-kun.”

 

  

“Sorry, for the wait! Here you go!” Koganei quickened his pace until he reached his teammates, presenting a plastic bag filled with steamed baked yams. On their way home, they spotted a baked yam vendor and decided to buy some.

“Thank you.” Izuki said as he reaches to take one of the baked yams.

“Thanks.” Kiyoshi replied after taking one as well.   
  
Mitobe remained silent, sending Koganeia smile, nodding to show his gratitude when receiving his share. 

“Oi, come one, let’s get going!” They heard Hyūga calling them in a grumpy voice. He was holding a can of warm coffee in his right hand, waiting for them ahead. The glasses boy mood had been sour since the start of the practice earlier and they wonder why.  


“Furihata is skipping practice because of some girl?” Kiyoshi asked in apparent surprise when the topic had been brought up by Koganei question.

“Aah! He had a nerve to ditch practice and leave with some unknown chick! Doesn’t he know we only have a few months left until the next Interhigh?!” Hyuuga complained. 

“It’s still next year…” Izuki and Koganei said at the same time.

 “But, why would _you_ get so upset about it? I mean Tsuchida got a girlfriend and you are fine with that.” Izuki pointed out, Mitobe nodding in agreement.  
After Tsuchida got a girlfriend he started to spend less and less time with them after practice. Still, there was no visible resentment from Hyūga.  
  
“What makes it so different?”

Hyuuga turned to Izuki, flashing him a very big smile and beckoning him to get closer before putting his palm on the other’s shoulder in a friendly way.   
  
“Ck... ck… ck… Izuki~kun,” he said, shaking his head and waving his finger in front of Izuki’s face.  
  
“It called  **Pride**!” His big grin morphed to somewhat maniacal smile you would see on a serial killer’s face. Ignoring Izuki’s appalled ‘Hyūga, you’re scary!’, Hyuuga ranted on “I mean, don’t you feel any resentment at all?! To think that our junior actually beat us at getting a girlfriend?! I’ve never even been in a relationship in my whole life!!” Hyūga bristled with anger as he continued his ramblings.   
  
“It called jealousy.” Koganei commented in the background while chewing on his baked yam. 

Hyuuga took a sip of his now cold coffee, to calm himself, when he felt a light playful tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Kiyoshi smiling at him knowingly.

“What is it?” He asked in annoyed tone.

“It’s fine Hyūga, you can always confess to Riko!” The taller man gave him a thumbs-up making Hyuuga spurt the coffee from his mouth.

“Wha-why would you bring her up?! This has nothing to do with her at all!!” Hyūga stuttered with a bright red face at the mention of their coach’s name.

“Eeeeh, so Hyuuga likes the coach, eh?” Koganei teased with a playful cat-like smirk.

“N-no! Why would I want with that flat-chested girl?!” Hyuuga seemed to have a hard time trying to dodge their questions and cover his embarrassment at the same time. Most of them already knew about his feelings for Riko, even though Hyuuga didn’t realize it himself.

“You _do_ know you’ll be skewered alive if she ever hears that.” Izuki said with a flat tone while Hyuuga shrieked ‘please, keep it a secret from her!’

“Still…I wonder what’s the real reason Furihata didn’t show up, I mean if it’s about girl then he should at least tell the other first years.” Koganei suddenly changed the topic.

“And I really doubt it’s because of a girl, he wouldn’t miss the practice - except of something urgent coming up. He’s really scared of the coach.” Izuki adds.

“I hope he didn’t get caught up in something bad, you know… The rate of people being ganged up on and robbed is increasing these past months.” Koganei let out a sigh.

Kiyoshi blinked once before he responded. “Yeah…I saw that on the news too, they suggested heading home before curfew.”   
  
Hyūga, who was in front of them, suddenly halted his step. His eyebrow wrinkled.

“You think…there is a possibility he was…”

 .

 .

* _Ding Dong_ *

The doorbell rang quite loudly after Fukuda pressed the button. They decided to visit Furihata right after the practice ended. Aside from Riko’s threat, they were also slightly worried about their friend’s condition and decided to come to his house.

The front door opened revealing a  middle-aged housewife with similar hair colour to Furihata. “Yes? Can I help you?” She perked up when she saw it was Fukuda and Kawahara.

“Ah! Fukuda-kun, Kawahara-kun, welcome!” Her tone became warmer the moment she recognized them as her son’s friends from school. Furihata often invited them over on the weekends so she gradually became used to their visits.

“Good evening, Oba-san… is Furihata home?”

The middle-aged woman went pale after she heard their question before blurting “Eh? I…I thought he was going to your house, he hadn’t come home since 4 days ago…”

“Really?! He’s missing then?! We need to file a missing person report!”

“I don’t know for sure, I’ve called his cell but it won’t get through… I’ve felt at ease those past few days when I thought that he was with you two…”  

“Why do you think he was with us?”

“Because that was the last text he sent to me…” The woman pulled out her cellphone and showed them the last message she received from her son.

_‘I’m sorry, I’m going to my friend’s house tonight.’_

“I think, the friend he meant was probably someone from his middle school?” Kawahara suggested but the old woman shook her head lightly with a solemn expression.

“He did have a few friends back then, but he have never been close with them and as far as I know he rarely hangs out with them. The only ones he can trust enough to have a sleepover at would be you two…”

 “Then we need to hurry and notify the police! We will accompany you there, Oba-san!” Being the most protective in their little group, Fukuda offered to take her to the police station.  
  


However before they could even make it through the front lawn, unexpected stranger arrived at the front gate of the house.

The man wore a completely black suit and a red tie, his hair ebony, his eyes brown. He had a large scar on the side of his face, giving him a threatening impression that contrasted with his composed demeanour.

“Furihata Kōki’s residence, I believe?” He asked in perfectly polite manner.

“Yes…I am his mother, what can I do for you?” Furihata’s mother asked timidly, still startled by his sudden arrival..

“My name is Sasagawa, I serve under Akashi household.” His explanation had surprised both Fukuda and Kawahara. Various questions were running through their minds but their main problemwas _‘What did Akashi have to do with Furihata?!’_

The servant’s next word had sent the chill down Furihata’s mother spine. She already had a bad feeling and terrible premonitions usually lead to terrible reality. She really didn’t want anything to happen to her son. 

“I was sent here to deliver a message, regarding the situation of your son, Furihata Kōki-san.” The man said in a monotonous voice.

 

 

 


	3. chapter 2 : Surprise Visitor

**Chapter 2: Surprise Visitor**

Furihata slowly opened his eyelids, revealing his brown eyes. He blinks a few times to regain his consciousness, while staring at the very first object that caught his attention. The ceiling.

The pure white ceiling above him seems very unfamiliar. He is pretty sure he is not on his room judging from the sound of foreign footsteps traveling through corridors outside and the soft waft smell of medicine.

He turns to his side and found an infusion tool needle firmly attached to his right arms. He sighed in relief. Thank goodness they were put that on him while he was asleep. He never good to dealt with any injection since he was a kid. He remembered his first injection of immunization in grade school. He literally wet himself right in front his entire classmates. It is truly an embarrassing experience now that he remembered about it.

Judging by his surrounding, it’s safe to assume he is in the hospital.

He also recognizes something after he looks his surrounding. He is in a private ward or he might say a _High-class_ private ward. The room was truly spacious for one person. They had a two flat screen television, one for the patient and the other for guests. There are Air-conditioned for single room, attached exclusive bathroom and toilet. Fully automated electric bed and a Mini bar. Even choice of meals is available!

 

He shuddered at how much cost his parent will have to pay later after he got out from the hospital. Who the hell put him in this room anyway?! Don’t they know money doesn’t grow on the trees?!

He startled by the sound of opening door yielded by creaking sound and immediately turned his attention to whoever that is.

 

“Ah, I see, you already awake.” Firm but polite speech accompany his step as he realize the brown colored guy already stare at him with unblinking wide eye. Furihata cat like eyes widened as he stare at the redhead figure standing on the doorway.

 The figure he never thought would ever see again. (Well, at least until next year Inter-high) The man that had scarred him with nothing but traumatic experiences since their very first meeting. The man that once had claimed winning is as easy as breathing.

The man who was capable enough to earn the title of former captain of generation of miracle and the present captain of Rakuzan high basketball team.

_Akashi Seijūrō!!_

 

 _WHAT IS HE DOING HERE OF ALL PLACE?!!!!!_ Furihata thought dreadfully as he turn his face away from Akashi. Furihata can feel chill-crushing-bone down his spine, from each step the redhead getting closer and closer to him.

Furihata flinched and let out a sound of mixture between mewl and squeak when Akashi took the besides the bed and make himself a comfortable seat.

“First of all, I wanted to give you my gratitude for saving me.” His statement left Furihata in confusion as he slowly turns to face the red haired male.

“Eh? Save you? When?” Furihata asked dumbfounded, he doesn’t understand why Akashi want to thanked him. _What is he talking about?_

Probably because out of fear he had of Akashi for they’re previous encounters, he had completely forgotten about the incident that made him end up in the hospital.

 

“You don’t remember?” Akashi blinked in surprise at Furihata obliviousness. “You got stabbed when you tried to help me two nights ago.”

“Two night…” The brown haired male mumbled quietly before the realization hit him. _Oh! That…_ As the image of the night he being stabbed by those thugs crossed his mind, Furihata struck with unabashed and repulsion at the same time. He unconsciously traces his finger through the surface of the fabric of hospital robe he wore. He can feel slightly bump of bandage beneath the surface of the clothes and instantly realize, that incident was real!

He still can’t believe he went and done something as ludicrous as that.

 

“To tell you the truth…I didn’t know it was you that being ganged up.” He admitted truthfully while scratching his cheek with his free arm.

“It doesn’t matter. You had put your life in line the moment you jumped that guy. I have to say, that act are unbelievably reckless.” Furihata can feel his face heating up in embarrassment when he heard the redhead small laughter escape his lips. “Regardless that, you deserve my gratitude. Thank you very much Furihata Kōki.”

Furihata can only stare, speechless by the honesty and sincerity in that genuine smile Akashi showed him. He already knew the possibility that Akashi had a multiple personality disorder, Kuroko once explained about it when they come with the counter-attack strategy to face Rakuzan. 

 

The Akashi that he first met was the emperor, the one with heterochromatic eyes. That extremely intimidating golden colored left eye he once witnessed still frightened him, had he recall the memories of their meetings.

The second is the real Akashi. The Akashi with red eyes and from what Kuroko had mention. He shown to be a real kind and respectful, also pretty considerate toward others.

However, he still doesn’t believe it completely. It is quite hard for him to actually believe he had a chance to encounter someone like that in his lifetime. To tell the truth, is all pretty bizarre for him.

But, as for now, watching the said male smiling so earnestly at him makes Furihata hesitant. Knowing that the Akashi he knew would probably left him to met his demise right there and then or even if he had helped him. Furihata would wake up greeted by a scissor flying toward his head. Akashi would have threatened him to tell no one about that incident.

 

 _So…this is the real Akashi, huh?_ Furihata find out immediately that he definitely more approve of this side of Akashi.

 “You don’t have to be so tense.” Furihata turn at Akashi, when the redhead speech interrupted his running thought. “I realize that our first and second encounter had been very unpleasant experience to you, I apologize for my behalf.”

“Also, I need to return this to you.” Furihata eyes widened once again when Akashi handed him a neatly folded piece of garment.

“Ah…that’s, my towel…”

“Have you recall? You lend this to me.”

Furihata remembered it was in the evening after the match Seirin against Rakuzan are over.

 

* * *

 

_The entire Seirin team member seems in a pretty high spirit even they were exhausted by the long mental and physical torture match against Rakuzan. Aida Kagetora-san and Alex-san promised them a real yakiniku feast that night so they were unbelievably overjoyed._

_“Ah!” Furihata suddenly loud exclamation stole the attention of all the rest of Seirin team member. They turned at him and give him a questioning look._

_“Can you please wait a moment? I forgot my bottle drink in the locker room. I’ll be right back!” Furihata said before turn away and walking back at the locker room they had used for the match._

_From the distance he can hear an impatient shout from hungry Kagami and Hyuuga. Told him to quickly retrieve it if he doesn’t want to be the only one left behind._

_Seirin has won!!_

_Somehow he can’t stop himself from humming a cheerful tone. It felt like a dream! They really beaten Rakuzan and claimed the title of the strongest national basketball team._

_Their team will forever be known as the team that toppled the Generation of Miracle!! It was such an honor for him to be able to become part of such amazing team._

_When he pass one of the hallways. Furihata is surprised by the scene in front of him for he hadn’t thought he would be able to witness._

_There stand a lone figure of red haired male with Rakuzan basketball club uniform. He can recognize that person was Akashi Seijūrō in one glance when he saw the number on his back even though he was standing facing on opposite direction from him._

_Carefully and quietly, Furihata made a small step. Hoping that Akashi wouldn’t notice his presence._

_For a moment he find himself questioning the fact of why Akashi was standing all alone? Where is the rest of his team? Heck, he even thought they were already long gone. Since the invincible emperor Akashi was lost, they must’ve felt very devastated._

_Furihata heart almost stops beating when the redhead figure suddenly turns his head and found him in the middle of sneaking away from him. His expression is similar to the ‘deer caught by the light’ situation._

_However what he hadn’t expected to see was…_

_The sight of tears running down from that crimson blood colored eyes. Akashi expression was as stoic as usual but with the tears trickling from his eyes._

_“You are…Seirin team member, was it?” Akashi sounds composed despite the running tears from his eyes. Almost made Kōki wondered was that even a real tear? Or, he was capable of control his emotions perfectly._

_“Ye-yes! Good evening!” Furihata answered almost in shriek tone. He was really anxious, knowing that Akashi next move was unpredictable as always.  In such close distance, who knows what’s going to happen to him._

_“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude you or something! I just was passing here by coincidence!” He frantically tried to come up with believable excuse to explain his appearance._

_“I…see…” Akashi nodded seems like his reason was acceptable, makes Furihata sighed in relief inwardly. He is about to take a step back; he doesn’t care about the bottle anymore. All he wanted now was just to escape as fast as he can from there._

_However…_

_“Ah! Umm…if you don’t mind, please use this!” He unzipping his bag and pulling out a piece of clean white towel and handed it to the slightly surprised redhead._

_Furihata notice that his hand was a little trembling when Akashi accepts his towel. He knew he stepped out of his boundary; this wasn’t concern him to begin with!_

_But…sight of the great Akashi Seijūrõ look so defeated after the probably the very first loss he ever experience._

_He looks like a fallen king…_

_The king that had disgracefully fall from his throne…_

_Is almost too unbearable for him to witness._

_“W-well, t-then, t-take care!”  Furihata quickly declare his farewell with trembling voice and sprinting through the hallways he’d been walking before, hoping he will reach the exit as fast as he can._

_Akashi blinking once at Furihata hastily take his leave, that figure had vanished completely from his sight by now. Then he stares at the white piece of towel in his hand. After a few second of silent, he opened his mouth and mumble._

_“That guys…what was his name again?”_

* * *

 

 

“I found out your name from your student Id card from your wallet.” Akashi revealed a thick leather wallet from his pocket and gives it back to Furihata.

“A-ah…thank you, I supposed you’re the one who brought me to the hospital?” The brown haired male asked timidly, a nervous sweat appear around his head. “I…I know, I am a little exaggerating but this room…I don’t think my parents can afford it…”

“It is fine, I am covering all your medical expenses. Please, do not concern yourself about such trivial stuff.” Akashi answered immediately.

“Eh?! No way! How can I pay you back?!” Furihata response makes Akashi stare at him in aghast. Why would this boy thinking he owe him for this? It was a common sense for him to return the favor to the person that saved him.

Before Akashi can come up with proper explanation of Furihata misunderstanding question, he is interrupted by a knocking sound can be heard from the direction of the door.

 

“Who is it?” They both turn their attention at the door for the sudden interruption.

“It’s Sasagawa. I have escorted the family of Furihata Kōki-san like you requested, young master.” 

The door opened after the approval response from Akashi and the sight of middle-aged woman suddenly barging into the room without caring about anything but her son. She immediately embrace Furihata and burst into tears, display such great concern she had once she learned about what happened to her precious son.

“Kōki! Are you alright?! Are your wound hurts? What are you feeling right now?” Furihata seems confused how to respond at his mother repeatedly and insisted questions of his condition.

He really happy that his mother worried about him but at the same time he can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by her concern.

He glances to the side and find Akashi staring intently at them. He feels a chill run down his spine at the strange feeling come from those piercing eyes.

_Is that jealousy?_

That looks disappeared as quickly as he notice it appearance as Akashi turn into his retainer and thanking him.

 

“Uwaa! It’s really Akashi Seijūrō!!” Fukuda exclaimed in surprise the moment he entered the room and found the sight of Akashi.

“We need to make sure of Furihata condition first, don’t you think?” Kawahara appear from behind him and tap him in the shoulder. Giving him look ‘it’s obvious isn’t?’

 “Are you the one that save my son?” The woman turn to face the redhead this time. “Thank you, thank you very much!” She grabbed his hand and thanking him, each of her words was filled with gratitude. His eyes softened at the sight of trembling delicate hands held his own and tears flowing from the woman eyes.

“It’s not necessary, Ma’am.” He places his palm on her shoulder in reassurance. “I merely am returning a favor.” Akashi looks down at her and smiles gently. His unexpected reaction had made Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda almost literally drop their jaw at the scene.

They never thought he is capable of making such face!

“I believe all of you,” Akashi takes a quick glance at Fukuda and Kawahara. “Must have many unanswered questions. Therefore, I’ll be taking my leave.” Realizing his presence must be a hindrance for them to talk openly with Furihata.

He get up from his seat and prepare to leave with his retainer followed closely behind. Without looking back he closed the door behind him, leaving three-stunned young man and over concern lady by themselves.

 

* * *

 

**End of chapter 2**


	4. Chapter 4: Secret

 

Chapter 3: Secret

Akashi shove an uninterested glance at the rain that pouring down over his black limousine. The huge automatic cheddar woods gate opened, leading to the humongous manor with Japanese traditional style.

“Welcome back, young master.” Greet the female servants in formal tone. She wearing a komon and bowed to welcome the arrival of their master.

“We already prepared a warm meal and hot bath for you, which one do you prefer, young master?” Asked the female caretaker as she retrieves the school bag and School blazer from Akashi.

“I’d like a bath first.”

“Understood, we will keep the meal warm until you’re finished.” Said the old woman as she give instruction to a few younger servant.

“Your father had asked me to relayed a message for you, he requested you to meet him after supper.” Akashi halted his step upon hearing that piece of information, his expression remain calm and collected before he answered.

“…I understand.” Said the young man “Please tell him. I’ll be ready when the time come.”

He then precedes his step through the entrance and entered the hallway. Akashi finally halted his step when he reaches the room in the end of the right hallway. He opened the sliding door and stepped inside the small room with exclusive green tatami mat. It was a Family altar room. He kneeled down and focused his attention on the small altar before him. His steel expression had turned gentle; lovingly almost the moment he laid his eyes on the picture placed at the altar.

The picture of light brown haired beautiful women with red eyes that pretty much resembles his. She seems on her mid thirty, seems smiling cheerfully while waving. The person that was once the core of his world, the most cherished person he ever had in his life.

“I have come home, Okaa-sama…” He greeted her and bowed before the altar. That altar was the place they had stashed the remainder of the late wife of the head of Akashi Family. Akashi never missed to visit her altar at least twice a day.

Seeing her picture make him recall the event earlier that day between Furihata and his mother. He must have unconsciously presented his emotion through his expression, judging from bewilderment looks Furihata displayed before him. He usually can always behave properly in front of other people. However, that feeling of Jealousy was not something he could prevent. The envy created from the deep longing of the bond he was lost long time ago.

Akashi then glance at his palm. The palm of hand that Furihata mother grasped before. He still can feel the warmth left behind by those petite hands, the warmth is similar with the warmth that he never experience again after the death of his mother. In the past he used to love walking side by side with his mother while hold her hand. Her warm hand can make all the worry and doubt within him disappear without a trace. How he missed those days he can never return to…

* * *

 

 

 

Furihata stared at the white piece of clothes in his hand. The sun is almost set and visit hours is already over so he shouldn’t have received any visitor again for the rest of the day. Fukuda and Kawahara already go home before night come and his mother had to go home briefly to take some pair of clean clothes and a few Manga and Magazine he requested her to bring along.

Now that he completely alone in the big room, he feeling bored already. He is in the middle of reading some adventure shounen Manga, he borrowed from Kawahara but no matter how much he tried, he can’t focus to read the comic. Being all-alone like this, tend to make him remember things from the past.

He didn’t completely over his broken heart experience for his middle school crush. But remembering that only make him felt more miserable so he tried to distract himself with other memories.

 _That stoic crying face…_ He remembered the time he met Akashi in the hallway.

After that, he didn’t seems to have much of appetite on their celebration party with Yakiniku feast as the others had greedily fight for the meat, stuffing as much as they can. Koganei even had taken a picture of Kagami with a face that almost similar with the way hamster stuffed its food inside of it’s mouth. Apparently the redhead refused to even let himself swallow since it will slowed his pace of taking more meats.

He remembered that night; he doesn’t really feel to celebrate the victory. He rather sat quietly and sipped his drink slowly.

 _I’ve felt like…I’ve seen that kind of expression before…_ Furihata lay on his back as he stares at the white ceiling above him.

He tried to recall the memory from long time ago, when he’s still in grade school. The expression Akashi made at that time feel somewhat familiar.

 _Where was it again…?_ He felt as if he forgotten something important.

_Red eyes stared into empty space seems lost and confuse._

His brown eyes shifted his glance from the white ceiling toward the glasses window, three feet away from his bed. He saw droplets of water slowly fall from above, dampened the surface of the glasses window.

“I remember…it was snowing day…” 

 

* * *

 

 

“Haah?! He got a cold?!” Riko asked completely baffled after hearing Fukuda and Kawahara explanation. Furihata can’t join the practice today again and from what she gather from them, it seems the brown haired male was getting a cold.

“Yeah, he was really in bad shape when we visit him yesterday.” Fukuda said with a sweat drop.

“Right, Kawahara?” he turns at his baldy friend, giving him a silent cue to support him.

“Y-yes! He can’t even move from his bed!” Kawahara nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Are you telling me the truth?” Riko can’t help but feel suspicious at they odd behavior. They act is almost like they tried to cover something. Both Fukuda and Kawahara cringed at her piercing glare and sharp question.

“O-of course! Why would we lie about this?!”

“He can’t answer his cell because he was sleeping the whole time after takes his medicine!”

“Hmmm, is that so…” Riko muttered to herself. To tell the truth she is not completely believes Kawahara and Fukuda reasons; but they are Furihata closest friends so she doesn’t have a choice but to trust them in this one.

Only after Riko turn her back that Kawahara and Fukuda glance at each other and finally took a long deep sigh of relief. They had just done exactly what Furihata had asked them to do when they visit him in the hospital. He requested for them to keep shut about the incident he involved in and about Akashi. He surely doesn’t want to create a ruckus considering this wouldn’t end up good.

“How did Furihata get a cold?” Kagami asked while lift his eyebrow at Fukuda in the middle of passing practice with Kuroko.

“It seems, He was pretty shocked when he was rejected by the girl he confessed to.” Fukuda said. Furihata had told them all about Ogawa Mai and believe she will be an appropriate excuse to explain the condition Furihata end up to.

“He refuse to eat and sleep and in the end, He ruined his health.”

“Is he an idiot? Ruin his health over a girl problem.” Kagami snickered mockingly.

“He made us worried over nothing.” Despite his mockery tone, Fukuda can sense a feeling of relief in his word and suddenly felt guilty to have to lie to them.

“You shouldn’t said that about friend that getting rejected, Kagami.” Said that Koganei standing beside him. Earn a little ‘Tch’ from annoyed Kagami.

“It’s fine Senpai,” Kuroko add with his usual neutral expression. “Kagami-kun always lacks for delicate stuff, word alone won’t be able to penetrate that thick skull of him.”

He then ignores Kagami rage rambling ‘Kuroko, You bastard!’ that followed after he finished his sentence. Fukuda and Kawahara can only watched the small fight with Kuroko and Kagami with little laugh until Riko came and stop both of them with one hit and then threatened to add their training portion if they keep messing around. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Haah…I really scared back then when coach stare at us with that intense look.” Kawahara said as he let out a long sigh. They currently cleaning the Gym after practice are over. Kagami and Kuroko were doing it yesterday so today was their turn. Usually they cleaned it together with Furihata.

“Well, at least they believe that reason, that should be alright, isn’t?” Fukuda said as he took one of the scattered balls.

“For now…but I can’t say for sure. You know, the coach seems to doubt the reason very much.” According to Furihata. He should have be release from hospital within two week after his wound healed completely. They knew that they would have to come up with other reason to explain Furihata absences in the next few days.

“I can understand that he doesn’t want to create a huge ruckus, but it will be tough for us…” Fukuda said and rested his cheek on his palm.

“For what?” “Well obviously-“ Fukuda stopped in the middle of his sentence when his brain recognize it was not Kawahara voice and his baldy friends are now petrified before him, staring at someone behind him. Slowly Fukuda turn around and find himself face to face with smiling Kiyoshi.

“Uwaaah! Kiyoshi-san!!” Fukuda quickly take a step back, instinctively moved away. The ball he been holding were slip from his hand and then fall to the ground, resulting a little thump when the ball bouncing against the flat surface of the wooden floor.

“Good evening.” Kiyoshi greet them with his usual warm smile and gentle expression. How did both of them did not realize his presence at all! He can’t use misdirection like Kuroko!

“E-eh…since when did, you were here?” asked Kawahara and Fukuda at the same time. Both of them are pretty nervous.

“Hmm? Since Fukuda said that it will be tough for you guys.” Answered Kiyoshi in clueless expression. His statement suddenly makes Kawahara and Fukuda sighed in relief inwardly. At least he didn’t hear the part before.

“So…what bothers you?” asked Kiyoshi again, stare curiously at his junior before him.

“W-well…that…the coach intense training!” Kawahara quickly coming up with excuse.

“Y-yeah! All my muscles are already sore from endless practice.” Fukuda add, while stretching his arm and massaging his own shoulder to make it look more believable.

“Is it? I thought the training was much more intense before the Winter Cup?” Kiyoshi is now tilting his head a little to the right. “Well, it doesn’t matter, at least it is not something important.” The brunette quickly shrugged the matter with a chuckle added to Fukuda and Kawahara relief.

“I thought it was something urgent, when I saw you two walking through the hospital hallways yesterday.” Kiyoshi sudden statement he casually let out make both Fukuda and Kawahara frozen in place.

“Eh…ye-yesterday? You were in hospital?” Fukuda asked with stuttered tone.

“Well, I need a regular check up to find I haven’t strained my legs yet.” Kiyoshi explained.

“I just wondering if it had anything to do with you two being escorted by man in black suit with a worried middle-age woman that slightly resembling Furihata to VIP room.” Kiyoshi said. “Then, awhile later, I saw the very same man in black suit followed Akashi Seijūrō out of the room.”

“Care to explain everything?” Kiyoshi turned at them and flashed his trademark smile and instantly Fukuda and Kawahara realize. They don’t have any choice but to tell Kiyoshi everything. This guy might seem like an airhead and laid back guy most of the time, but he actually really observant of people around him.

 

.

.

“Heeeh…so that what was happened…” Kiyoshi mumbled in understanding after he heard the story from Fukuda and Kawahara. His two Kouhai seems really nervous when they told him the story.

“Well, I can see why he don’t want anyone to know, it would certainly create a huge ruckus if it were found out by the others.” The brown haired male say while close his eyes and nodded.

“It’s not like we don’t understand. But, isn’t it would be better if he just tell everyone his real condition instead of lying?” Fukuda shrugged and leaned his back toward the wall.

“I mean, that way he wouldn’t suffer coach anger and the other wouldn’t treat him like a wimp because they thought he get sick because of some silly crush.” Fukuda can’t really blame Kagami or Hyuuga to tease Furihata of his condition because they don’t know the real reason behind Furihata absence. But as Furihata best friend and for someone that actually knew the whole matter, he can’t help but to get annoyed at them and Furihata himself for forbid them to tell the truth.

“You got a point there.” Kiyoshi add with small laughter escaping his parted lips.“But, I have to say that Furihata choose to do the right thing.”

“Eh? Why?” Fukuda asked again, a little surprise by his senior comeback.

“He prefer to lie of his condition and become an object of teasing instead of make them worry if he told them the truth.” Kiyoshi then shifted his glance to the ground. There are sense of proud and somewhat admiration in his tone.

“Furihata is really a kind-hearted person, isn’t he?” Fukuda and Kawahara also gaze down to the grounds after hearing Kiyoshi explanation. As long as they know him, Furihata was one of the nicest guys they ever met. Yes, he mainly cowers in fear and always reluctant to face a confrontation but he always tried his best not to be a bother to people around him.

“Yeah, I guess he is…” Kawahara said in a low voice.

“But, I’m a little surprise he would be that careless. To jump some random guy with a weapon, if I didn’t know him better I’d say he had a death wish!” Kiyoshi commented with serious expression.

“Well…we also surprise at that part though, Furihata can be such a reckless guy.” Fukuda added with a long deep sigh. Whatever, he just glad his friend is still alive and gradually gotten better. “Say, how about I accompany you to visit him tomorrow? I want to see how he’s doing.” Kiyoshi asked suddenly and turn at Fukuda.

“W-well…if it’s only Kiyoshi-san then…” He reluctantly answers while scratching his cheek. If it were only Kiyoshi, Furihata wouldn’t be mad at them, right?


	5. Chapter 5 : First day back to school

**Chapter 5: First day back to school**

 

“Yo! I came to see you, Furihata!” Furihata stare with wide unblinking eyes at the tall figure that smiling brightly when he entered the room.

“Ki-Kiyoshi-san? Why?” He asks when the male walking toward his bed.

“I already know everything from Fukuda and Kawahara so I decide to visit you together with them today.” He explained and Furihata shot an unapproved glance toward both male that stand behind Kiyoshi.

“It’s alright, we haven’t told the others yet,” The man said again upon find a frown on Furihata expression. Knowing exactly what had bothers him.

 

“My, my, there are a new face today.” Furihata mothers commented with a smile when she enter the room and find the sight of Kiyoshi.

“Oh, good evening, ma’am.” Kiyoshi turn around and greeted the woman who simply smiled back.

Kiyoshi already involved in a friendly chat with Furihata mother. He seems like he had a natural charm to get along really well with old people and an animals.

 

“We don’t have any choice, Kiyoshi-san was in the hospital the day we come to see you…” Kawahara admitted in low voice, refuse to return Furihata glare instead shifted his glance to the ground.

“It can’t be helped right?” Fukuda tried to back him up.

Furihata still give them unapproved glance with flat face while cross his arms.

“I brought watermelon with me today, please feel free to have some!” Kiyoshi said and took out a large lunchbox from his bag then opened it revealed a sliced watermelon stack neatly inside.

“Thank you very much, you must have gone through a lot of trouble bringing this here.” Furihata mother seems very pleased, appreciate Kiyoshi kind gesture.

“Not at all ma’am, we need to have this once in a while,” Kiyoshi said with a smile before turn toward Furihata “ Furihata, You must be tired of hospital food isn’t?”

“Eh? Y-yes! I’d love to have some.” Furihata quickly turn at the older male and nodded.

“Then, I’ll borrow some plates and fork from hospital staff, Kawahara-kun and Fukuda-kun can you please give me a hand?” Asked Furihata mother as she walked toward the door.

Saw a chance to escape from Furihata interrogation; Kawahara and Fukuda quickly followed the old lady out of the room.

“Oi! Wait, Kawahara! Fukuda!”

 

“Don’t get so upset at them, is as they said. I saw them the day they come to visit you.” Kiyoshi said as he takes a seat next to Furihata bed.

“Kiyoshi-san…” Furihata became silent for a moment. “So that means the others already…”

“No, they didn’t know anything yet.” Kiyoshi said make Furihata seems somewhat relieve but quickly added. “But I think Riko grew suspicious of your recent absence.”

“Aah…the coach…I forgot completely, there will be a hell to pay after I got out from the hospital huh…” Furihata covered his face with his palm as he imagines the intense training he going to receive after he recover.

“Hahaha! You’ll be alright!” Kiyoshi laughed and then pat him in the shoulder.

“Kiyoshi-san…” Furihata murmured, feel a little secure and happy.

Before Kiyoshi expression change completely from cherry to dreadful poker face and add. “Maybe.”

“Why ‘maybe’? Why do you have to add that word after you make me feel a little better?!” Protested Furihata as comical tears running down his eyes.

 

“I heard what happened from Fukuda and Kawahara.” Kiyoshi said with serious tone.

“Ah…well…” Furihata scratched his head.

“That absolutely was a reckless thing to do!” Kiyoshi scolded him make Furihata looking down, seems regret and dejected at the same time.

Kiyoshi Teppei was one of the seniors Furihata really admired. He is like an older-brother like figure. His patience, kindness, determinacies and bravery in some ways Kiyoshi had become his idol, someone he look up to and also his goal.

“I’m sorry…” Furihata replied in almost whisper like tone. He doesn’t want the person he admire to see the bad side of him. He then heard Kiyoshi sighed.

“Maa, at least you were safe and fine.” Kiyoshi replied with his casual heart-warming tone and then pat the brown haired male head with his big warm hand, Make Furihata brighten at his response.

“I really don’t expected the person you save turn out to be Akashi Seijūrō! What a wonderful coincidence!” Said Kiyoshi while smirk in amusement.

 

“No…I won’t call that wonderful coincidence…” Furihata averted his glance and speak in mellow tone.

“That explains how you can end up in such expensive room!” Kiyoshi commented while take a look around the room.

“Well, that one thing I should be grateful of,”

“Anyway, I hope you will quickly recover and released from the hospital, everyone were waiting for you.” Kiyoshi said again, this time with calm and composed expression.

“Well, I know that there will be coach intense training I would look forward to…” Furihata scratched his nape before added. “But…I…”

_am someone like me really needed at all?_

He can’t voice that part out loud.

After that night of the incident, he can’t shake that thought off his mind.

 

“Everyone is waiting.” Kiyoshi said once again, understand what had weighing down Furihata minds. “They are all worried of you,” Kiyoshi then chuckled a little.

“They might had a hard time display it or say it out loud but all of them were worried when you didn’t show up.” Calm deep brown eyes meet caramel brown that widen in surprise.

“Because you are a precious team member of Seirin basketball club.”

 

Furihata stunned the moment he heard that word came out from Kiyoshi. He about to reply the moment the door suddenly open and his mother had comes back along with Fukuda and Kawahara, bringing in plate with sliced watermelon cubes place neatly above.

“This is for you,” His mother said as she shoved one of the plates to her son.

“And this is for you, Kiyoshi-kun.” She said and gives another plate to Kiyoshi who receive her offer with huge smile.

Furihata can’t say anything anymore after Kiyoshi decide to join in the conversation with Furihata mother along with Kawahara and Fukuda. They seem pretty engrossed in their chat that Furihata decide not to interrupt.

Somehow hearing that his entire teammate cherished him so much makes him really happy. So happy that he felt like he can cry in joy.

 

“Are? Furihata? Why are you crying?” Furihata heard Fukuda suddenly commented and realize the tears that trickling from his eyes.

“Are you alright? Do you feel sick or something?” His mother asks, feeling extremely worried of his condition.

“N-no, it’s nothing…it just there something in my eyes.” Furihata replied, quickly wipe the tears from his eyes.

He felt really blessed for being able to be a part of such a great team as Seirin Basketball team!

.

* * *

 

One week later…

 

Furihata condition had getting a lot better than before. He is now able to stand on his two feet; the infusion had been removed since he doesn’t need that anymore so he can move his right arms freely. They said he might be released faster than they had expected.

It is great but he had only one problem…

“I’m bored~” Furihata sighed heavily against his pillow. Today, Kiyoshi, Kawahara and Fukuda can’t come to visit him since they need to prepare for upcoming school culture festival. His mother also decide to go back home since Furihata condition are gradually getting better, because his father had been living of unhealthy instant food and convenient store bought food ever since his mother had to stay with him in the hospital.

With no one to talk to and nothing to do, Furihata had become really bored. “I want to go outside…” he whispered with a large frown on his face. It’s been a very long time since he last stepped outside, he remained stayed in his room since his mother forbid him to go outside from his room, she afraid something terrible might happened to him.

Furihata about to rolled to his side when he heard a knock come from outside of his door. “Come in.” He answered, thinking it probably just a nurse that comes to check his temperature or something.

“Pardon my intrusion.” Furihata ears sharpen the moment he hears that familiar voice belong to a certain crimson haired male.

 

“A-Akashi-san!” said the bearer of the caramel brown eyes as he quickly turns around.

“Good evening, I hope I am not intrude you,” Akashi spoke in polite manner as he excuses himself inside the room.

“N-no, no at all! It just rare to see you suddenly visits me.” Furihata quickly replied, still as tense as their previous meeting.

“I heard that you’ll be released quicker than they expected, maybe a day after tomorrow so I decide to visit you before you got out from the hospital.” Akashi state as he took a seat on the chair beside Furihata bed. “How’s your condition?”

“Ehm…I’m getting a lot better since then.” The brown haired male replied with a nod and shivered. “I-It’s all thanks to you…”

“I’ve told you already, I’m just return a favor.” Akashi said with a little sigh. “I haven’t seen your mother or any of your friends yet,” commented the said male as he turns his gaze around the room.

“A-ah, t-the others can’t come today and m-my mother decide to go home yesterday, she and dad will come to pick me up when I am released from the hospital.” Furihata explained the reason behind their current absences.

“I see…” Akashi nodded in understanding.

Both of them remained in long stretched complete silent after that. Find that there is nothing to talk about anymore.

 

Furihata afraid that if he begins to talk so casually with Akashi, he will eventually ended up offending him. He still remember the very first word Akashi had said to him in their first meeting very clearly.

There’s someone here who doesn’t belong, sorry but could you leave?

Although it came from Akashi emperor side, it still gave an impression that the crimson haired male obviously stated Furihata is not worth to stand in the same ground as him.

While Akashi thought that Furihata view him as an object of fear. The brown haired male clearly still trembling’s when he talks to him even until now. Somehow, make it difficult for him to have a proper talk with Furihata without him being cringed, jerked or stutter out of fear and nervousness.

“Actually…I’m a little bored, do you want to…I don’t know, accompany me for a walk around?” The brown haired male asked a little awkwardly to breach the silent between them.

“I…don’t mind.” Furihata have to say, he slightly surprise when he found Akashi replied with an expression perked a bit at the suggestion. If he knows better, he swears he saw hint of relieve behind those crimson orbs before him.

“T-then…let’s walk around the hospital ground…”

.

.

 

“Hmmmh! It felt ni~ice!!” Furihata stretch his hand and let the fresh air filled his lungs. It’s been a long time since he stepped outdoor under the warm sunlight. “All my muscles are sore and tense from sitting without doing anything all day.”

“You must have really bored aren’t you?” Akashi commented slightly chuckled at Furihata act.

“Well…anyone would have if all you do is stay inside the room and staring at the window all day.” Furihata answer with depressed sigh.

“I wonder about the club, how’s the other doing?” _Coach will definitely beat the living out of me when I return…_ Furihata didn’t voice the last part but his fear expression clearly visible; make his face paler than before.

 

Furihata expression turns into confusion when he saw Akashi stretch his hand at him.

“I just remember, I haven’t congratulate you yet for winning the match.” Akashi immediately explained. “Congratulation for winning the winter cup.”

“Eh? W-well…T-thank you…” _Somehow it felt weird, to see the Rakuzan captain congratulate me…_ Furihata thought, tried hard to hide his uneasiness as he receives the handshake.

“W-what about you? I-I mean how the Rakuzan doing?” Furihata asked back, a little stuttering.

Akashi becomes quiet for a while before answered Furihata question. “I’m afraid, I cannot answer that question.”

“Ah! I-I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want-“

Akashi already cut him before Furihata finishes his sentences.

“For I have resigned from Rakuzan basketball club, I’ve already submitted my resignation letter.” Said the crimson haired male calmly ignoring the wide stare he receives from his brown haired male companion.

 

“Eeeh?!” Furihata eyes almost bulge out from the socket when he heard that shocking news. He knew Akashi must have been devastated over his very first loss, but to think he would quit basketball club he loved so much over such matter is…unthinkable.

“Wh-why?! It’s too sudden! Is that because of the Winter Cup?”

“ I won’t deny that reason might been taken part into my consideration before I reach this conclusion, even though it’s not a major part,”

“Rest assured, you don’t need to feel responsible for the decision I made.”

“Eh…but…”

“Please forgive my rudeness, but if you don’t mid may I ask you something in return?” Akashi turns at Furihata make their eyes met. Furihata surprised to find there were no emotions within those crimson orbs.

“Y-yes?” Furihata quickly nodded.

“What the reason you played basketball in the first place?”

“Eh?” Furihata seems a bit confused, why would Akashi thought this question will offend him in any way? “Well, I used to have a huge crush on this girl, she said that she would consider going out with me if I become number one on something, so I decide to start with basketball.” Furihata stopped for a while and shifted his glance to the ground. The memory of his first crush flooded his mind once again.

“After we won, I…decide to confess to her once again, but I was rejected once again, silly isn’t?” Furihata let out somewhat a stale and bitter laugh. “You know? The night when that _incident_ happened…”

“Sorry, I must have sound very stupid didn’t I?” Furihata scratched the back of his head to hide his nervousness and embarrassment.

 

“No, I think any reason are acceptable as long as you wish to played.” Akashi states as a matter of fact, there are no hint of mockery or pity in his tone.

 

“Well, it might started out that way…but now I think I really blessed for decide to play basketball.” A soft smile appears on Furihata lips when a picture of team Seirin appeared in his mind.

“Because I have found a precious team, place where I belong to.”

The brown haired male turns once again at Akashi and return his question. “What about you Akashi-san? What makes you want to play basketball?”

 

“I…” The image of his smiling mother praising him as he once again succeed to dunk the ball to the ring appear on his mind.

Before he could answer Furihata question, the sound of his cellphone ringtone suddenly ringing make Akashi snapped from his thought.

 

“Ah, yes? What can I do for you?” “I understand, I’ll be there soon.”

“I apologize but can we continue this the other time? It is almost time for my client appointment.”

“O-of course! You don’t need to apologize, after all you have come all the way to visit me here!” It would be bad if he interferes with the crimson haired male schedule.

“Let me escort you back to your room.” Akashi offered, knowing Furihata condition hasn’t fully recovered yet.

“N-no! It’s fine! I can go back by myself!!” Furihata refused. “After all it was my idea to go outside, I want to enjoy the fresh air a little while longer.”

“Alright, but remember not to overexert yourself.”

“Y-yes! Thank you very much!” 

“…Then, I hope to see you another time.” Akashi said as he proceed to exit the hospital yard leaving Furihata all by himself.

“Y-yeah, until we meet again!” Furihata nodded as he saw the crimson haired male figure disappear into the exclusive limousine that been waiting on the front yard.

 

* * *

 

One day after Furihata released from hospital he finally ready to getting back at school. Although he’s found a little difficulty in following the lessons. Fukuda and Kawahara had tried to help him the best they can by lending him their notebook to copy when he was in the hospital, though he appreciate their thought, he found many flaws in their notes and he can’t even figure some of the part out of their writings.

Kuroko was his only salvation when it comes to lessons since he is the only first year among the group that reliable enough to pay attention during classes even though his grade was average. But the blue haired male is still better choice than Kagami, right?

 

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine, going to school after the day you released from the hospital?” Furihata mother asks him when he about to wear his shoes. “Take one or two day off, you’ll hurt yourself if you push yourself too hard.”

“It’ll be alright, _Kaa_ -san. After all there will be Fukuda and Kawahara, you don’t need to worry.” He point at his two loyal friends who already arrive to pick him up so they can go to School together.

“If you say so, then take care and have a good day.” His mother said as she sends her son off to school.

“Then, I’m going!” Furihata said, waved at her before closing the front door of his house.

 

“But, don’t you think your mother was right? It be better if you stayed home for one or two day to make sure you are fully healed.” Fukuda commented when they are in the middle of walking through the street.

“I told you already, I’m fine! You don’t need to keep treating me like an injured person!” Furihata answered a little annoyed. It seems like his mother concern are contagious judging from his best friends behavior that also wanted him to stay home, doing particularly nothing.

“But, it will be bad if you’re fainted in the middle of the practice you know?” Fukuda said while shrugged.

“You guys can just take me to infirmary, can’t you?” Furihata suggested with pleading tone.

“That’s a hassle!” Fukuda quickly retort.

“Eeeh?!”

“You’re not particularly light you know,” Kawahara add, agree with Fukuda opinion.

 

The numbers of students they encounter on the streets increase when they were almost arrive at the school, there are a boy that came with bicycle, some girls that busy checking on her mail on her cellphone and a few students who walks in group like them.

When they enter the school ground, the sights of many strangers flocked over Seirin team members greeted them.  

“Ng? What happened? Why there are so many people around our school yard?”

“Ah? It was the reporters I guess? They’ve been hanging around here lately a short time after you entered the hospital.” Kawahara informed him.

 

“Eh? Our school is scouted? But why?”

“Stu~pid! Are you forgotten? We won the winter cup! We had beaten the Generation of Miracles!”

“For school with basketball club that just formed two years ago it’s obviously came as huge shock, especially since we beaten those guys that frequently appeared in magazine.” That’s right, as the club of basketball that just established 2 years ago from the nameless school are able to taken down the strongest king that reigned since the beginning of winter cup was truly a miracle.

 

“Though they mostly interview the coach, the captain and Kagami and Kuroko with the other regular members.”

“A bench-warmer like us won’t get any chance, huh?” Furihata commented with a stale chuckle described how inferior they were compare to the regular members.

“Ah! I remembered him! The guy with number 12 on his back!” One of the reporters notices Furihata presence as she pointed at him and then rushed toward the startled brown haired male followed by the other. 

“Right! He was once being subbed to face the Rakuzan captain isn’t he?”

“Excuse me, if you don’t mind can we interview you for a moment?”

“Eh? M-me?” Furihata blinked in confusion as the reporter shoved a mic in front him.

“We’re going first to the locker room,” Fukuda and Kawahara state coldly as they walk away, obviously jealous that Furihata become a center of attention.

“Wait! Fukuda! Kawahara! Why are you angry?!” Furihata pleaded them but they seems to ignore him.

 

“Can you please answer some question for us, number 12 player?”

“It’s Furihata Kōki…” Furihata answered with a nervous frown _At least remember my name!_ He thought inwardly as he stare at the female reporter.

“Then, Furihata-kun, can you tell us what do you feel after your team won against the fearsome Generation of Miracle? We would like to hear your opinion!” Asks another reporter, seem eager to know his answers.

_Feel…?_

The sight of Akashi once again return in his mind and suddenly his chest constricted with pain, the similar pain he felt the day he got rejected.

“I…” Furihata about to opened his mouth to say something when one of the reporters found the sight of someone else.

 

“Ah! That’s their captain and shooting guard the number 4! Hyuuga Junpei! Let’s asks him!!” The brown haired male sighed in relief because Hyuuga manage to divert their attention from him.

 

Furihata then raise his palm and placed it on this chest, feeling the thump of his heart.

_Why…did it felt hurt?_

The pain was immediately disappearing but he can’t deny the sharp pain he felt earlier.

_Was that…a pity?_

Furihata thought on his way to the locker room, he needs to change for the morning practice.

 

**_I have resigned From Rakuzan basketball club_ **

 

 

Furihata squinted his eyes when he remembers the talk he had with Akashi the other day.

_Am I hesitating knowing he was the one that saved me that day?_

To tell the truth he is undeniably happy when they won but if he said that, he can’t help but felt guilty deep inside.

 _This isn’t like me at all! I guess I just overthinking things!_ Furihata shakes his head to ward off any negative thought.

 

 _After all today will be the first day I practice basketball after my recovery! I must try my best!_ He thought tried to gather more confident and determination inside him. He is about to open the door to the locker room, but stopped mid-way when he heard suspicious sounds.

“Wait! Kagami-kun, we can’t do it here, the others can show up any moment…nh!”

 _Eh? Was that…Kuroko voice? What was that? A moan?_ Curious, Furihata decide to take a peek from the creak of slightly opened door.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks!” This time he can hear another voice that he completely sure belong to Kagami. The redhead hissed in gruff tone.

“The others are busy practicing and those paparazzi will trailed them, no one would find us here.” Moans with a few grunts filled the room.

At first Furihata does not completely comprehend what was going on in there since Kagami large back blocking his vision. But he quickly got a grasp of situation when he saw the aggressive redhead pinning his partner down.

 _Wait…are they fighting? But it doesn’t seems like that at all…_ Furihata are confused in deciding to stepped in or not. The way they held each other it’s not in any way violent, if Furihata had to say it look almost _intimate_. The brunette become really uncomfortable by witness the event by now.

“…You sure are impatient Kagami-kun.” Came Kuroko reply after a while, titling his head to the side giving more access to Kagami. Kuroko wrapped his arms around Kagami neck while the red head were caressing the skin under his white shirt.

Furihata really surprise to saw an emotion in Kuroko usually straight face. The light blue haired male breaths become much more erratic, and a crimson blush streak across his face. His expression was filled with excitement and eagerness.

Above everything, the most things that shocked Furihata the most was the moment Kagami bent down and kissed Kuroko on the mouth.

_Heh?_

Furihata standing stunned on his place. His mind went completely blank upon witnessing such shocking event before him. He actually only seen people kissing in the drama or romantic movies. Only twice he ever witnessed people kissing in front of him, the first was when Alex kissing Kagami (Although that doesn’t really count since Alex only saw Kagami as a brat.) and the second were happened right in front of him.

_They…. kissing…._

From the place he standing, Furihata can even heard the sound of wet and sloppy kiss and the tongues battle for dominance.

_The two are…kissing…._

_Kiss…_

_._

_._

**To be continued**


	6. Chapter 6 : Seirin's cultural festival day

**Chapter 6: Seirin's Cultural Festival Day**

_W-what the hell did they just do? More importantly, how can they do such things in public?!_

Furihata’s face became pale, his forehead was drenched in cold sweat. He took a step back quietly, redirecting his gaze to a wall beside the door. He could almost hear the gears shifting in his head.

_Well technically, that's not exactly a public place, they’re inside a room… But that's our locker room!_

 

His stare was empty as his head buzzed with conflicting thoughts, trying to comprehend what he just witnessed.

 

 _That's not the problem here! They have that kind of relationship and no one knows?! Or… am I'm the only one who doesn't?_ _Well, it would be a little difficult to mention in conversation with other people…_  
  
Even if he was the only one who didn't know, he could kind of understand it. It would be really uncomfortable for all parties involved if one of his friends brought the topic up.

 

_What should I do? If they find out that I was eavesdropping on them…_

**_“I'll turn you to mince meat if you tell anyone about this!”_ **

****

It wasn’t hard to imagine Kagami’s reaction. The redhead would probably beat him to pulp just to give him a taste of what would happen if he talked.

****

_I need to get away from here!_

The brunet slowly took another step back, bumping into someone standing behind him.

 

His heart almost stopped beating and it took him a lot of self-control not to shriek in surprise. Before he could utter another word, the other person covered his mouth with the palm of their hand.

 

"A-Alex-san?!" He whispered in disbelief, his voice muffled by her hand.

 

The tall blonde shushed him with a index finger in front of her puckered mouth.

 

"First, we need to get out from here."  
  
Furihata nodded at Alex’s words and let himself be dragged away by the blonde.

 

 

They went behind the gym building.

 

After Alex made sure no one was around, she relaxed a little.

"Tsk, that idiot pupil of mine, he is _way_ too oblivious to his surroundings…" The blonde scratched her head, clearly exasperated, "Bakagami is really the only one who's dumb enough to make a move in public place."  
"Anyway, how are you feeling? Fukuda and Kawahara already told us about, eh, Ogawa was her name?" Alex let out a loud laughter, giving Furihata a smack to his back.   
"No need to be sad, she's not the only girl in the world! I'm sure you'll find someone better!" She tried cheering him up.

 

Furihata stared at her, still not moving or talking.  


"What is it? You seem out of it," the blonde asked, watching unresponsive Furihata trembling a bit.

 _Oh really?!_ Furihata screamed inwardly at Alex's question, his eyes probably budging out of his eye sockets.   
  
_The answer is obvious! I just witnessed two of my_ ** _male_** _teammates, kissing and touching each other intimately!_

  
It all started with a girl he liked rejecting him, being stabbed by a group of thugs and hospitalized, and then learning that he actually saved Akashi Seijūrō's life in the process. Who visited him not once, but twice! And now, he accidentally spied on the forbidden relationship between his teammates. Furihata felt like those were the longest weeks he experience in his whole life.

  
If unexpected events keep happening to him, he will go either insane or die from a heart attack.

 

"Yeah… well about earlier…" Furihata forced a smile to hide his uneasiness, "you already knew they had that kind of relationship?"

  
"Well, more or less," Alex explained with a shrug, "Hyuuga, Kiyoshi and Riko already suspected something, but they decided to never discuss it in front of the first years."  
  
"Ahh… I-is that so? I thought I was the only one that didn't know..." The brunet scratched his head, chuckling nervously.  


"Well for now, you need to keep this as secret from the others, ok?" Alex instructed him with a huge grin as she crossed her arms.

 

"Y-yes!"

 

"But honestly, all of you should have noticed by now that there was something between them."

 

"Eh?" Furihata slowly blinked.

 

"It's pretty obvious judging from their everyday behaviour."   
  
After hearing Alex's words, something clicked in Furihata's head, about Kagami and Kuroko.

They were always hanging out together, be it in class, during practice, or when they went home. It was really rare to see one without another. They often exchanged drinks, during the break and in the middle of practice.

 

"You seem a bit shaky… are you alright?" Alex raised one of her eyebrows as she walked towards Furihata.

 

"Well obviously I haven't recovered from the shock of knowing that two of my male teammates are in a romantic relationship…."

 

"I see…" small smirk appeared on Alex's face. The blonde leaned closer towards the flustered brunet.

 

"So what do you think about it?"

 

"If you asked m-me that…W-what can I say except 'I find it weird…?' I…I mean people of the same gender involved in t-that kind of r-relationship were uncommon in environment I grew up in…" Furihata admitted truthfully, stuttering slightly.   


"I see your point," Alex sighed, nodding in agreement.   
  
It was clear to Furihata that to Alex the idea of it wasn't new. Same-sex couples that were out and proud were more common in America - obviously they didn't cause a big reaction since people were much more accepting there. However it's different in Asian counties, with many still opposing to same-sex relationships.   


"Maybe they were experimenting? To satisfy their ranging hormones? Or searching for a quick stress reliever?"

  
As soon as the words left his mouth, Furihata could see the smile on Alex's face disappear.   
  
"It's a possibility but…" her stare was cold, bordering on icy, making Furihata shiver a at the intensity of it, "do you really think that? You're friends with them for almost a year now."   
  
Furihata shifted his eyes to the ground, instantly regretting his earlier statement.

 

"Do you seriously think Kagami or Kuroko are the type of person who would do something like _that_ out of curiosity or for mere fun of it?"

 

"I…I don't think so…" Furihata replied, still staring at the ground.

  
"…I have to admit, I was really surprised at first. I never thought that Kagami was able to pay attention to anything other than surfing, basketball or a challenge of a strong opponent."

 

Furihata looked at her, seeing a small smile appearing on her face.

 

"He… how should I put this..." Alex paused, gathering her thoughts, "Kagami I knew before, never cared about that kind of stuff… So when he told me, out of nowhere, that he likes Kuroko more than a friend I almost couldn't believe my own ears." She smiled genuinely, looking like she was remembering something funny.   
"I feel proud but also a little lonely, seeing my once little pupil growing up."  
  
Furihata saw her face become more serious as she looked at him, continuing.

 

"Kagami wouldn't be in romantic relationship with someone unless he was 100% serious about them. That's why I'm positive his feelings are absolutely genuine."

 

"Ah… um... sorry for saying something strange," Furihata apologized, bowing his head a little.   
"I can't guarantee I'll get used to it but I'll try my best to accept them the way they are."

 

"Got it!" Alex said, giving him a big smile and patting him on the shoulder, "I'm counting on you to keep this a secret from the others."  
  


 

The sound of loud footsteps were followed by a loud bang when a tall figure suddenly barged his way inside the student council room. Revealing the sight of pretty annoyed Mibuchi Reo.

  
"You can't just walk in here! The student council is in the middle of the meeting-" one of the Rakuzan student council member spoke up from their seat, but was quickly interrupted.

  
"Like I give a damn! I want to talk to Sei-chan, now!" Mibuchi snapped as he glared from the redhead who was seated at the head of the table, to the guy who spoke up.

 

Akashi finally took his eyes from the documents before him, giving Mibuchi a long look.

  
"What is this all this about?" he asked, calm as usual, even when the second year in front of him was basically fuming.

  
"President!" exclaimed one of the student council members, looking from Akashi to Mibuchi, clear disapproval on his face.  

  
"Reo-nee, please wait!" another voice called out. Hayama walked into the room, trying to get Mibuchi's attention to no avail.

 

"Sei-chan!" Mibuchi glared at Akashi, their eyes meeting, "I can't accept this Sei-chan! Why did you quit basketball club?!"  


Akashi closed his eyes to collect his thoughts; then opened them again only to turn toward the other members of the student council.   
  
"Would you mind giving us a moment alone, please?"   
  
They complied, exiting the room one by one.

  
"Thank you very much, I appreciate it," Akashi stated as the last member of the student council passed the door.

  
There were only the three of them inside the room now, and the tense atmosphere had made Hayama visibly nervous.

  
"Please feel free to take a seat first," Akashi said as he gestured towards the empty seats.  


He watched them sit down but before saying anything else, he waited until Mibuchi calmed down a little.

  
"I apologize, but whether you agree or not, I won't be changing my decision," he declared, hoping that getting right to the point and keeping his voice stern will make them waver.

  
"Sei-chan…" Mibuchi gritted his teeth, looking away for a bit, clearly not being able to accept the redhead's words, "but why?"  
  
"I have responsibilities I need to prioritized from now on, I hope you understand Mibuchi-san," Akashi smiled.

 

It was a fake smile and from the looks of it, Mibuchi knew it too - the anger dimmed, making Mibuchi's face look unhappy and sad.   


They remained silent after Akashi's explanation. Mibuchi seemed to digest his words, trying to find some gap, a loophole, he could use to rebut him. Hayama kept glancing from one to another, opening his mouth to say something but at the last moment closing it, thinking better of it.  


"Is it because we lost to Seirin?" Mibuchi suddenly said, breaking the pregnant pause between them.

  
"Reo-nee! Why would you bring that up?!"   
  
Akashi didn't engage. He sat there, calm and quiet, observing his two ex-teammates.

 

Mibuchi stood up and turned to the door, frustrated with silent treatment.

  
"Reo-nee…" Hayama said as he followed his friend.

  
Mibuchi paused before the door.  
  
"Is it because we were not capable enough to fulfil your expectations?" Mibuchi asked, voice quiet and full of bitterness.   
  
He didn't turn to Akashi when asking the question, didn't wait for an answer either, choosing to leave the room instead. Hayama sent Akashi a quick nod and followed after his friend.  
  
Akashi tapped his forefinger on the wooden surface of the table, watching the empty room.

  
"That's not it," he whispered in low, emotionless voice.

 

His eyes became blank and unseeing.

  
"It's because… I was not capable of being your leader."

 

 

 

*The day of Seirin's Cultural Festival*  
  
  


"Oi! Snap out of it Furihata!"  
  
The brunet blinked in confusion as he heard one of his classmate yelling at him.

 

"Get back to work! Don't just stop in the middle of painting! We don't have much time left!" the class rep said, pissed at his attitude.

 

Their class decided to make a haunted hause for the cultural festival this year, and since he couldn't help for a while, he needed to give his best today.

 

Furihata looked at fake cut-off arms smeared with red paint.

 

"Ah…sorry, sorry!" Furihata apologized, quickly getting back to painting the remaining fake arms.

 

Kagami's class was doing a maid café, trying to use the redhead's cooking skills to their advantage.

                                                                                       

Thinking about Kagami reminded Furihata of the incident he witnessed a few days ago. After that, the brunet couldn't help becoming really tense whenever he was alone with Kagami and Kuroko, or accidentally making eye contact in the middle of the practice.

 

It wasn't his fault really, he still tried to get used to Kuroko and Kagami's... relationship, he just needed more time - till then, they will have to deal.

Yet, the more he thought about it, the more hopeless he felt.

 

"I finished painting the fake arms." Furihata announced, handing the class rep the box with the fake arms neatly stacked in it.

 

"Thank you, you can go and change into your costume now," she said, sending him a small smile, clearly surprised he finished so quickly.  


The costume she meant was a mummy-like attire, made from cheap black tracksuit and plenty of toilet paper that was going to be glued to him, covering him from head to toe.  


Furihata thought it was ironic he was going to be a Mummy, meant to scare the visitors of his class' Haunted House when in reality he was a coward, especially when it came to stuff like monsters.

 

As he was done with his costume and about to proceed to the Haunted House, he heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Oi, Furihata, is your class done yet?"  
  
The brunet turned around, noticing his two seniors standing in the hallway.

  
"Aah, Koganei-senpai, Mitobe-senpai, good morning," Furihata stole a quick glance at the room, checking the progress, "I think we're going to finish in a couple of minutes, what about your class?"

 

"Haha, it's a mess," Koganei sighed, "Kiyoshi accidentally slipped and wrecked the poster Hyuuga worked on. They got in a big fight since Hyuuga worked on it since last night, and was really pissed to see it ruined - of course, it was mostly Hyuuga roaring and yelling at Kiyoshi until the coach appeared out of nowhere and calmed him down."

  
"Eeeh… w-what happened afterwards?"

 

"Kiyoshi is redoing the poster with the help of others and Hyuuga is sulking; sometimes they both act like little kids." Koganei replied with a small laughter. He patted Furihata on the shoulder, looking the brunet straight in the eyes.  
"It must be hard on you since you just recovered, but the Cultural Festival is about to start so let's do our best together, Furihata!"

 

"Y-yes, thank you very much!" the brunet nodded, watching his seniors wave him goodbye as they continued walking down the hallway.

 

"They're right! I have to do my best!" Furihata cheered himself on.   
  
He entered his class' Haunted House with a brisk step, newfound energy and courage.

 

 

 

 

*Few hours later...*

 

 

"I'm tiiiired…" Furihata exclaimed, slumping against the ground. He never would have guessed that scaring people could be this exhausting.

 

"Hang in there, only few minutes left till the break," Fukuda tried to cheer him up.

 

"Hey, the next visitor is coming!" Kawahara chided them before settling back into his position.  


"Yes, yes..." Furihata and Fukuda answered at the same time, getting back to their posts. After a moment they heard slow footsteps coming from near the entrance.  


_That person is really calm…_ Furihata thought as he saw, no, _heard_ the attempts of his classmates fail. Most girls who visited their haunted house would scream at the top of their lungs, most boys would run from the entrance all the way to the exit. Some would simply laugh since they knew it was their friends behind the costumes.

 

However this person was different. They were way too calm; their steps were steady and unwavering, they weren't even startled by his classmates appearance!   
  
_The class rep will be disappointed, I heard she was really confident while designing the house and the costumes, trying to make them as scary as possible._  
  
Furihata remembered the words Koganei said to him in the hallway. He had to try his best!

 __  
It's my turn now! Furihata thought as he heard those slow, calm steps approaching. He opened the coffin engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphics, ready to scare his next victim.  


He was about to start that creepy groaning and moaning he perfected an hour ago, but the moment he saw their appearance, Furihata froze on the spot.  
  
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"   
  
Loud screams came from the inside of the Haunted House.

 

 

 

*Outside the Haunted House…*  
  


"Just as I thought, it was only a matter of time before that redhead screamed in fear," the class rep said, fixing the position of her glasses with her index finger, wicked smile on her face.  


"Oh really? I haven't heard any male shouting since we opened. He must be a real wimp," her friend commented tilting her head a little. Her costume was a traditional Japanese ghost; she was wearing a katabira - plain, white, unlined kimono - with her long hair down and some fake blood on the side of her forehead and the small triangular piece tied around her head.

 

"Don't say that! He screamed because it was scary! I'm sure of it!"

 

 

  
*Inside the Haunted House*  


 

"A-Akashi-san?" Furihata asked with quivering lips as he slowly walked towards the redhead.

  
"Furihata Kōki?"   
  
Akashi _did_ seem a little startled, but who wouldn't when the guy who was supposed to scare you ends up screaming at the top of his lungs?

  
Furihata remembered his face was still covered to make him look like a mummy. He quickly removed the paper from around his head, running fingers through his hair to make it less messy.

"W-why are you here?" the brunet asked, still stammering. This was the second time Akashi had surprised him with an unexpected appearance.

 

"Kiyoshi... Teppei-san had invited me to your school's cultural festival when he saw me at the hospital."

 

"Aaaah… S-so, you came here with your classmates from Rakuzan?" Furihata asked, when he saw Akashi was wearing a Rakuzan suit-like uniform.

  
"No, I came by myself," Akashi shook his head.

 

"A-ah…so that's why…" the brunet looked around, seeing no one nearby.

 

"I wanted to see it with my own eyes - the school that Kuroko chose," the redhead explained, pausing for a little and then walking towards the exit, "also, I heard from Kiyoshi-san your absence had caused a great deal of misery among your teammates, especially your coach; I'm going to find them and apologize properly."

 

Furihata could almost feel his heart stop at the words.

 

"Wait! Don't do that!" Furihata sputtered, grabbing the redhead's shoulder from behind.

_Why would he want to do something so unnecessary?!_

 

"Why?" Akashi asked, his expression flat.

 

"No... it's just… I'd rather keep the r-reason I was hospitalized a secret…" Furihata gave him a pleading look.

 

"I understand, it does sound hard to believe…" Akashi mumbled, averting his eyes a bit.

 

"T-that's why!" Furihata laughed nervously at the conclusion Akashi reached. As long as the redhead kept it a secret...

 

"I want to see Kuroko though, could you take me to him? If it's not a bother."

 

"O-of course! A-ah, I mean you're not a bother, not at all! Fortunately, you're our last visitor!" Furihata flushed. Why did he have to keep stammering when talking to Akashi?

  
He walked towards Fukuda and Kawahara who were standing nearby, but not close enough to hear the conversation between him and the redhead.

"Fukuda, Kawahara, I'm going to take Akashi-san to meet with Kuroko, can you tell the class rep for me?"

 

"Well, it's all right… though… are you sure you're going to be fine? It's Akashi Seijūrō, you know!" Fukuda warned him.

 

"You know… I begin to think he's not as scary as we thought he might be… maybe…" Furihata replied while scratching his head. Although he tried to sound brave, the trembling in his voice did nothing to hide his nervousness.

 

"Just make sure you come back alive," Kawahara tapped Furihata's right shoulder while Fukuda tapped his left.

 

"Understood! Private Furihata Kōki is departing for duty!" he exclaimed giving them a salute. "But if something happens to me, tell my mother I love her!"

 

"Yes, sir!" Fukuda and Kawahara saluted back, keeping their hands up till Furihata and Akashi went through the exit door.

 

 

 

 

*Kagami and Kuroko's class*

****  
  


It was a huge success - their maid café was really popular.   
  
Kuroko looked at the long line of customers in front of the café entrance.

 

"Kuroko, how are you doing?" asked a familiar voice.

 

Kuroko turned at the mention of his name and saw Furihata together with his Akashi, making their way towards him. Seeing his ex-captain in the company of the brunet made him a little confused.   
  
Kuroko blinked once to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

 

"Ah, Furihata-kun… it's quite unusual for you to be seen together with Akashi-kun."

 

"Akashi-san said that he wanted to see you… so…" Furihata scratched the nape of his neck, looking away from Kuroko's eyes.

 

"Good afternoon Kuroko, long time no see."

 

"Good afternoon Akashi-kun. I'm sorry, but I really can't have a proper talk with you now, can you wait until I finish my shift?" Kuroko asked, glancing at the queue behind him.

 

"Whoa! There are so many customers! Your class must have a very pretty maids and butlers," Furihata exclaimed when he saw how long the line is.

 

"I think it's mostly because of Kagami-kun. His cooking is really good," Kuroko replied in flat voice, "now that you mention it, there are many female customers as well."

 

"So that's why… but you're right, who can resist Kagami's cooking? I want to have some!" Furihata declared as he quickly lined up behind the queue.

 

"Seems like Kagami Taiga had proved himself a decent chef, I would love to taste some of his cuisine," the redhead said as he walked pass Kuroko, towards where Furihata stood.

 

"Y-you're going to wait in the line? I thought..." Furihata looked from Akashi to Kuroko, face baffled.

 

"That would be rude and unfair. Some of those people have been waiting for a long time to eat here," Akashi explained.

 

Kuroko sent them a nod, walking back to the begin of the line. After a sign from his classmate he led the next customers to their table.

 

 

 

*30 minutes later*

 

 

"We're pretty much packed, do you mind to sharing the table with other guests?" Kuroko asked when Furihata and Akashi finally entered the café.

 

"Well…I don't mind," Furihata nodded.

 

"It's fine by me," Akashi accepted the condition.

 

"This way, please," Kuroko said giving them a little bow, his butler outfit shifting a little.  
  
Both of them followed Kuroko as he escorted them to their table. As they entered the small classroom which Kuroko's class transformed into a café, they could see it was filled with customers.  


The amount of the tables, chairs and space was limited - they couldn't accept many customers.

 

When they arrived at the table, recognition passed over Akashi's face.  


"Akashicchi? Didn't expect to see you here!" Kise exclaimed with a big smile.

 

"Akashi?!" Aomine expression switched between shock and annoyance.

 

"Good afternoon, this is a pleasant surprise," Akashi said with a small smile, taking a seat next to Aomine since Furihata took the one next to Kise.

 

"Akashicchi! Did Kuroko invited you to come too?"

 

"I didn't invite you; only informed that Seirin will be holding a cultural festival this week," Kuroko replied sending Kise a flat look.

 

"And you decided to drag me along," Aomine grumbled at the blond.

 

"It couldn't be helped! Kasamatsu-senpai rejected my invitation, he had a study date today!" Kise complained.

 

"You shouldn't bother Kasamatsu-san too much, Kise-kun. He's a third year - he needs to prepare for the university entrance tests," Kuroko's glared at the blond till he gave in.

 

"I know, I know!" Kise huffed and pouted at Kuroko before turning to Akashi.

 

"Ne, Akashicchi want to come with us? There are so many stands I want to visit!"  


"I could, but only after I finish my conversation with Kuroko."

  
"Eeeh? Kurokocchi should just join us!" the blond turned to Kuroko.   
"You can be our guide around Seirin, what do you say?" Kise suggested, beaming with enthusiasm.  
  
Kuroko sighed and looked around.

 

"Kise-kun, you can see how busy I am," he then glanced at the brunet happily reading the menu. "You can take Furihata-kun instead."

 

"Eeeeeeeh?! Me?!" Furihata put down the menu and pointed at himself.

 

"Alright then! See you guys later, let's go Furihata! You're our guide!" Kise rose from his seat. He pulled the brunet up by the arm, putting him in a friendly headlock.

  
"B-but… I haven't even ordered my food…" Furihata's whine went ignored by the excited blond who dragged him to the exit. Aomine followed after them, yawning.  


After the trio left, Kuroko discreetly studied Akashi who was examining the menu.

 

"There is something I want to tell you, Akashi-kun," he blurted out.

 

"I thought you were busy?" the redhead looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

 

"It was an excuse; Kise-kun would make us visit every stand in Seirin, which would lead to getting attention of all those girls and in the end we wouldn't be able to get away since the mob would block all the exits."  
  
Akashi thought it over and nodded, silently agreeing. Kuroko led them out of the classroom but not before asking one of his classmates to take over his duties.

 

"So… what did you want to tell me?" Akashi asked while they stood in a crowded hallway.

 

"This is not something I can talk about in a public place. Will you come with me to the roof?"

 

"Alright."

 

 

 

 

The rooftop offered a breathtaking panoramic view over the whole school. It served as a perfect place for students to enjoy a cool breeze and bask in warm sunlight; but because today was the day of the cultural festival, the rooftop was completely empty.

  
They leaned on the railing. Akashi stared mindlessly at the blue sky while Kuroko enjoyed the bird's eye view of his school grounds.

  
"The truth is…I'm going out with Kagami-kun," Kuroko confessed.   
  
Akashi already suspected that much, but the he didn't confront Kuroko - it was better when the other felt comfortable talking about it.

 

"Is that so…" Akashi replied after a slight pause, still gazing at the sky.

 

"You seem calmer than I had expected," Kuroko sounded surprised.   
  
Akashi didn't blame him - usually, he would bombard his ex-teammate with disapproving - but true - remarks.   


_No, 'he' would do that..._  
  
He switched his gaze from the sky to the window of Kuroko's café; from where he stood he could only see the line near the entrance, the one he waited in earlier. It seemed even more crowded; was it thanks to Kagami's cooking? He didn't even get to taste it.   
  
Thinking about the café made him remember his other ex-teammates were here too. Did Kise and Aomine knew about Kuroko and Kagami?

 

"I believe, it is not my place to state an opinion regarding your interpersonal relationships or the person you choose to be with," he finally said, "however considering the circumstances, there is something that makes me concerned."

 

"And that is?" Kuroko looked at Akashi's profile, clearly interested.

 

"You view Kagami Taiga as a mere substitute for Ogiwara Shigehiro," his words held no hesitation. He then turned to fully face Kuroko, "...am I right?"

 

Neither surprise nor uneasiness painted Kuroko's face as he stared back. His ex-teammate neutral expression and blank look prevented Akashi from predicting what went on inside his mind. Though, he did notice Kuroko didn't seem offended by his remark.   


"I… I can't deny it," Kuroko confessed, his eyes darting away to the windows, probably to his class' stand.  
  
Akashi could hear Kuroko take a big breath and releasing it slowly.  


"I think… from the very first time I saw Kagami-kun, I kind of saw Ogiwara-kun within him. His passion for basketball, his determination and how he can't give up on the things he really loves."

 

Kuroko paused for a little. Akashi waited patiently - he doubted Kuroko understood completely how much Ogiwara impacted his relationship with Kagami.

 

"Those were the things that drew me to him at first," Kuroko continued, closing his eyes, "but then… when he said he wanted to become the best basketball player in the Japan and top the Generation of Miracles…"  
  
Akashi saw Kuroko relax a little, tension seeping out of his shoulders.

 

"At that moment I realized, he _is_ different from Ogiwara-kun. Kagami-kun reminded me of the thing I once forgotten," Kuroko opened his eyelids, revealing his blue eyes.   
"Playing basketball is fun," a faint smile appeared on his usually expressionless face, "if it's him, perhaps I really can make him the best basketball player in the Japan."

 

"You fulfilled that dream already, have you not?" Akashi retorted with a bitter smirk. Hearing Kuroko talk about his promise with Kagami opened the old wounds of his humiliating defeat at the Winter Cup.

 

"Knowing Kagami, I doubt he would be satisfied with our current achievement; we only played against other high school students. There are adults that are better than him," Kuroko said with a slight chuckle.   
"He said once that the Winter Cup wouldn't be his final goal. He will keep challenging himself and find even higher goals. When that time comes, I want to be able to stay by his side."  


Akashi slightly nodded.

 

"It's different from that time I was in Tēiko," Kuroko added, looking straight at Akashi, "I don't want to give this person up."   
  
Akashi immediately understood Kuroko alluded to his former partnership with Aomine.

 

"You say that with absolute certainty now, but you have to remember that human feelings can change with the passage of time," Akashi stated the possibility.   
"Someday, there might come a day when the two of you part ways."

 

"I understand that there is no 'forever' when it comes to relationships," Kuroko exhaled deeply before continuing, "however, I can't bear the thought of someone other than me standing beside Kagami-kun."

 

"…that's just plain selfish…" Akashi pointed out.

 

"I'm much aware of that. When it come to love, you can't help but become selfish."

 

Kuroko's blue eyes locked with Akashi's crimson orbs.

  
"The place beside Kagami-kun is mine and mine only. I won't let him be taken away from me!"

  
Kuroko's declaration surprised Akashi. He liked to think he knew his ex-teammate rather well, but he hadn't anticipated Kuroko ever saying something like that.

 

"Should we head back?" Kuroko asked, releasing the railing and stepping back.   
"From what I saw the café is flooded with customers - they could use my help."  


Akashi nodded, glancing for the last time at the sky. He then followed after Kuroko, the words of his ex-teammate buzzing through his head like a meddlesome fly.

_Love, huh…_

_The strongest feeling of attachment you can possibly feel towards someone._

_Something I never felt again after the death of my mother._

*At Seirin's front gate*

 

 

The fan girls crowded around Kise leaving Furihata and Aomine standing awkwardly on the sidewalk.  
  


  



	7. Story of the past and a love letter

**Chapter 7: The story of the past and a love letter.**    


"Akashi? It's good to see you here."

Akashi was about to walk out of the school's main building, but he was stopped by a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Kiyoshi wearing an advertisement board, making him look like the sandwich man.

The tall brunet beamed, but suddenly his smile turned to a frown.   
  
"Aw, are you leaving already?” Kiyoshi asked, sounding a little disappointed.

"Yes, it was fun, thank you for inviting me." Akashi said, smiling.

"I wish you'd stay a little longer…"

"I'm sorry, but if I had stayed longer I would miss my train. I still need to take a train back to Kyoto, I have school tomorrow." Akashi politely declined.

Kiyoshi eyes widened at the words, probably forgetting that Akashi had to come all the way from Kyoto. "Ah, that's right! Sorry for making you come all the way here…" The brunet bowed his head a little in apology.

"It's alright, coming here was my decision after all." Akashi shook his head, smiling gently. It was only a two hours trip with Shinkansen from Tokyo back to Kyoto.

Another figure came from around the corner.

"Ah, Kiyoshi-san, Akashi-san," Furihata greeted them.

"Hey, Furihata! You're also going home?" Kiyoshi waved cheerfully at his junior.

"Yeah, class rep made me go home early. I think she didn't want me to work myself to the bone." Furihata nodded at the older brunet, then turned to Akashi. "Eh? Y-you're not going to leave together with Kise-san and A-aomine-san?"  
  
[changed from "check-up from the hospital..." -> "class rep..." ; the wound would be mentioned in the papers from the hospital, besides his cover story was that he stayed at home when he was sick]

"No," Akashi shook his head, "I am sure Kise would end up dragging me along to random and questionable places; it would be a waste of time, and I need to catch my train back to Kyoto." After a pause, he added, "I texted them earlier."

Judging from Kise's behaviour, the blond had quite a bucket list for after he was done touring Seirin's Cultural Festival. Akashi wouldn't be surprised if Kise and Aomine coerced Kuroko and Kagami into going with them.  

"Want me to walk with you to the train station? My house is in the same direction..." Furihata offered.

"I would love to have some company, thank you," he said, sending Furihata a small smile.

"Hmm… it seems like you're getting along better," Kiyoshi commented.   
  
The comment didn't surprise Akashi, he also felt the brunet felt more at ease with him in comparison to their match for the Winter Cup. He almost chuckled, remembering how Furihata couldn't stop trembling when he was sent to mark him.

"Is that so?" Furihata said, looking from Kiyoshi to Akashi. "Ah, maybe it's because we met quite often past month?"

Akashi nodded.

"Then, we'll be on our way Kiyoshi-san." Furihata said, both of them heading towards the front gate.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Furihata!" Kiyoshi waved cheerfully, before resuming his duty.

 

 

"Ah… this park… sure bring back memories…" Furihata commented as they passed a playground on their way to the station.

It had recreational equipment for little kids, such as a swing set, seesaw, slide, sandbox and many more. In the middle of the park, next to a bench, stood two vending machines and a trashcan.

Like any other park in the area it was accessible to general public. Although the park was too small for any group physical activities, it served fine as a children's playground or just a place to sit outdoors.

"Memory?" Akashi raised his eyebrow in question.

The brunet nodded."Yeah, this is the place where I met  _him_ …"

 

 

 _Furihata was on his way home when he suddenly felt something cold and wet on his nose. The little brunet looked around, realizing it started snowing. He and his friends had to cancel their plans - they couldn't play outside today because their teacher informed them of the upcoming snowstorm. Furihata was hoping he could make it home before that pesky fluff began falling from the cloudy sky, but no such luck._  
  
For elementary school students, storm days were boring days. They either got stuck at home doing nothing, or were forced to listen to their mothers ranting about the homework with the occasional 'you should study a little more'.

_  
The little brunet opened his blue coloured umbrella to shelter himself from the snow._

__  
"I hope it's sunny tomorrow!" he said to himself as he walked through the shopping district. If tomorrow was sunny, he and his friends could play to their heart's content.  
  


_While passing the playground, Furihata's eyes landed on an unusual sight._

_  
There, in the middle of the park, a lone figure sat on the bench. He seemed to be Furihata's age, maybe a little younger._

_  
The first thing Furihata noticed was bright crimson hair that stood out against the whiteness of the snow. As he walked a little closer he saw that the kid was wearing a black formal suit, with a red tie and leather shoes that seemed really expensive._

_Furihata could tell at a glance that the boy came from rich and prestigious family._

_  
But... The boy didn't wore a coat. His clothes were covered with white snowflakes which must have dampened his attire by now, yet he didn't seemed to mind at all._

__  
The little redhead had his head hung low, with his long bangs covering his eyes. To Furihata he looked really upset about something.  
  


_Why would someone like him sit alone in the park, in the middle of the heavily snowing day without anyone accompanying him?_

_  
Out of curiosity, Furihata decided to talk to him._

_"Are you… alright?" Furihata asked, shifting the umbrella so it covered the other boy, providing shelter from the snow._  
  
The little redhead flinched a little when Furihata greeted him, either because of the low temperature or the sudden appearance of a stranger. Furihata thought it was the latter.

 _  
"…"  
  
The boy didn't respond, but he did slowly raise his head._ _His face was emotionless besides the crimson orbs that met Furihata's brown ones with mild curiosity._  
  
Furihata almost flinched at the tears that were running down the little redhead's rosy cheeks.

 __  
"You're crying! What's wrong? Did you fall? Does your stomach hurt? Are you hungry?" Furihata fired off questions, extremely worried despite not even knowing the boy's name.  
  


_The little redhead raised his palm to his face and seemed surprised when he found tears there.  
"Eh…? Why…?" He whispered in a hollow voice. Apparently, he didn't notice he had been crying._

_Furihata remained silent, not knowing what to say._  
  
"Why am I crying…?" the boy asked, looking lost and insecure.

_  
  
  
  
_ _It happened in the winter of Furihata's fifth grade, and sadly, he couldn't recall the boy's face with clarity anymore. Over the years more details slipped away, till the meeting became a vague memory._

 

  
 

"It happened a long time ago… I've never seen him again though…" Furihata closed his eyes and put his hands inside his pockets. "I wonder where he is and what he's doing right now…"

"If what you said is true, then… the boy you have met that day would be me."  
  
The brunet paused his steps and opened his eyes.

"Eh?" He looked at Akashi in bewilderment.

"It's true, I remember the events of that day," Akashi said calmly.  
  
Since the redhead went on walking, Furihata quickly resumed his steps.

"You've got to be kidding me… How is that even possible?! It's _not_ a small world, you know!"

"It's a mere coincidence." Akashi let out a small chuckle. "I do remember a boy talking to me but I can't recall his physical appearance clearly."

"But why were you sitting alone that day, in the middle of a freaking snow storm?"

Akashi became dreadfully silent when he heard Furihata's question.   
  
"Were you… running away from home or something?" Furihata asked, thinking Akashi might be hesitant about admitting it out loud.   
  
Furihata would usually drop the subject when the other person seemed uncomfortable with it, but somehow, maybe after learning that Akashi was the boy he met all those years ago, he wanted to know more about the redhead.  
  
[added cuz Furi is usually more cautious/cowardly than that, he wouldn't dwell on the subject if the other person seemed uncomfortable]

"Well…you can say so…" the redhead nodded after a slight pause.

"Heeh…" Furihata was a little surprised.  
  
_So rich kids run away from home too?_  
  
"Why? Did you have a fight with your parents? I had a share of those myself..." Furihata said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Furihata knew everyone went through that rebellious phase, when after a fight with their parents they would run away, which usually ended with staying overnight at their friend's house.

There are bunch of immature kids like that, it's a part of growing up. Furihata felt good knowing that Akashi was facing the same problems as the rest of them.   
  
Furihata couldn't help but look at Akashi, seeing him in new light. Rich or not, kids will always be a kids.

"It wasn't… exactly a fight…" Akashi answered in quiet voice, almost whispering. "That day… was the day of my mother's funeral…"

 _I was wrong!!!!!_  
  
Furihata's speechless state kept him from doing a double take. He would have never thought the reason would be something that heavy! Suddenly he felt very guilty for what he had said before.

He heard Akashi taking a deep breath.

"Hey…"

"Y-yes?!"

"Do you remember? You asked me once, why I started playing basketball in the first place."

  _Ah… that time…_ Furihata blinked when he remembered their conversation at the hospital.

"I wanted my mother to praise me…" the redhead smiled sadly as he gazed at the sky. "That's why I decided to play basketball…"

 _Akashi-san… always seemed so strong._ Furihata recalled the moment he saw Akashi standing on the court during their match for the Winter Cup.  


_He somehow gives an impression that he's invincible…_ In the beginning, Furihata couldn't believe that someone like Akashi was the captain of Generation of Miracles. The redhead's build was a lot like Kuroko's, noticeably smaller than the rest of the GoM - he was only inch taller than Furihata.

Furihata quickly changed his mind though, seeing with his own eyes how fearsome Akashi could really be. Yet, the redhead didn't make any obnoxious comments when Furihata was sent to mark him - he treated the brunet as a normal opponent, not underestimating him even when the redhead's basketball skills were clearly superior. Because of that, Furihata came to respect him, even admire him a little.  
  
Then, there was that time he saw Akashi crying after their match - the redhead looked so vulnerable, as if the slightest touch would break him.

_How could someone be so strong yet so fragile at the same time?_

Furihata somewhat understood it was a question that will remain unanswered.

But that only fuelled his curiosity, making the brunet want to know more about Akashi, from the redhead himself.  
  
Given his position, Furihata didn't learn much about Akashi Seijūrō on his own - well besides that the redhead had multiple personalities. Kuroko was the one who filled some of the blanks - Akashi came from a good family, his dad, Akashi Sr. was the CEO of his own family business, and although Akashi was really rich he wasn't snobbish at all. At least, in middle school he never discriminated and treated everyone equally well.

And now, here he was. Telling Furihata something he probably never told a soul before.

What was Furihata supposed to say? Was it even alright for him to reply?  
  


 

Akashi propped the collar of his coat up, patiently waiting for Furihata to gather his thoughts.   
  
"I think... that means you really love basketball," the brunet murmured.

Akashi stared at Furihata with wide, unblinking eyes. He didn't expect that kind of response from the brunet.

"You were playing basketball because it reminded you of your mother, right?" Furihata added louder while scratching at his nape, sending Akashi nervous looks here and there. "I…I think… that it must be really precious to you so... you shouldn't give up on it like that…"   
  
Akashi sent Furihata a small nod, letting the brunet know he heard him. He didn't let it show, but it really surprised Akashi how straightforward the brunet's words were. Furihata didn't try to flee, didn't try to change the subject or let it die with an awkward silence. He was actually trying his best to express his opinion. From the slight pauses in Furihata's speech, Akashi could also conclude that the brunet still wasn't sure how to word his thoughts properly - but his stuttering decreased which meant he was getting more comfortable in the redhead's company.  
  
Akashi saw Furihata take a deep breath. The brunet then squeezed his eyes shut, quickly muttering, "Kiyoshi-san said to me that I'm a precious member of Seirin's Basketball Club." Furihata's cheeks were a little red. "I mean... I'm really glad that I decided to join the basketball club. Because of that I met everyone... and they are really kind people, you know? They consider me - someone who's pretty much good-for-nothing - a precious team member…"

 

Furihata opened his eyes and turned to Akashi with a wide grin. "You also have people that think of you as their precious team member. Don't keep them waiting."

Furihata's last words struck Akashi speechless, making the redhead slow his steps. The brunet didn't notice - he kept on walking, saying something along ‘we should arrive at station soon'.   
  
He didn't see the dumbstruck expression that graced Akashi's face.

* _Thump_ *

Akashi put his hand near his heart, felling it going slightly faster... but it wasn't just his heart; he felt somehow different, he couldn't really describe it properly. It was, as if something clicked, but he didn't really knew what it meant or how it changed things. He was confused, for he never felt anything like it before; was he getting sick?   
  
The feelings disappeared within seconds, making Akashi wonder if he imagined it.

The redhead shook his head, dismissing any peculiar thoughts, before raising his pace to catch up with the brunet ahead.

  


*At the station*

 

"Thank you for accompanying me to the train station, Furihata." Akashi smiled at the brunet when they finally arrived at the station.

"You're welcome and... it was rather fun." Furihata waved at the redhead before adding, "have a safe trip."

"You too, be careful on your way home."

"I will. Then, see you next time."

"Yeah, goodbye."

With that short conversation, they went their separate ways.

 

 

***Few** **days** **later***

 

It was a sunny Monday morning when Furihata yawned, making his way to the school building. He walked over to his shoe locker, still felling sluggish and drowsy. His eyes widened at the sight of pink envelope inside his locker.

_This…_

_This is…_

_This is a Love Letter isn't?!_

With trembling hands Furihata took the envelope out of his shoe locker. It was pink, addressed 'To Furihata _Kōki' in neat handwriting. His heart thumped loudly._ There was a lot going inside his head, he didn't know if he felt happy or nervous. No one ever confessed to him before.

_Wait! Don't get too riled up! There's still a possibility it's a prank, someone could be messing with me! First, I need to discuss this with Fukuda and Kawahara..._

Furihata slid the letter into his backpack as he neared the classroom. Seeing Fukuda already sitting at his desk with Kawahara next to him, somewhat calmed the brunet. Furihata walked through the open doors, making a beeline towards his friends.  
  
  
"You've got a love letter?!" both Fukuda and Kawahara exclaimed loudly, after Furihata shared with them what he found in his shoe locker.

"Keep your voices down!" Furihata muffled their mouth with his palms, looking around, checking if anyone heard them. He didn't want the whole class to know he received a love letter.

"S-so, what did it say?" Fukuda asked, his voice impatient.

"E... eh… I haven't read it yet…" Furihata shook his head nervously, pulling the envelope out of his bag. He was too embarrassed to read it by himself.

"Then, let's read it together!" Fukuda snatched the letter from Furihata, taking the letter out of the envelope.  


_' Dear Furihata Kōki-kun,_

_The first time you've caught my attention was at the semi-finals of the Winter Cup. I think that you were really cool playing against Kaijō High. After that, I've began to take more notice of you, your earnest and caring side making me start to like you.  
I still want to confess my feelings properly. Would you meet me at the rooftop after school?_

_Sincerely,_

_Tanimura Kyoko '_

  
"So… Tanimura Kyoko, huh?" Furihata raised his eyebrow at the unfamiliar name. He didn't remember ever meeting the girl.

"She's in 1-B, right?" Kawahara asked.

"I heard she's quite a beauty, you're so lucky!" Fukuda elbowed Furihata playfully.

"You know, I think this love letter is fake… why would she suddenly confess to me? I don't remember ever talking to her, I don't think we've even met! Some guy from 1-B might be making fun of me, using her name!"  
  
"Don't you think there's a possibility it's a genuine love confession?" quiet voice remarked, startling the three freshmen out of their seats.

"Uwaah! Kuroko! Where did you come from?! Don't scare us like that!" Furihata stared at his teammate, dumbfounded.

"I've been here the whole time," Kuroko instantly replied, making the three bench warmers sigh at the nonchalant tone.  
  
Furihata took his seat again, looking back at Kuroko. His teammate seemed to have something to say, otherwise he would just ghost around like he always did.

"She asked you to meet her, right?" Kuroko went on. "Why don't you see for yourself before deciding it's a fake?"

"B-but… what if it turns out to be a joke? I'll make a fool out of myself!" the brunet exclaimed, looking from Kuroko to Fukada and Kawahara. This might be some kind of bullying and he didn't want to take that risk.

"It's alright, if it comes to that, Kagami-kun will beat up the culprit," Kuroko assured him with a firm tone.

"No… I don't think it's a good idea to involve him…" Furihata shook his head. He didn't want Kagami getting suspended because of a fight that didn't have anything to do with the redhead in the first place.

"Just do it, you might finally get a girlfriend!" Kawahara said, agreeing with Kuroko.

"That's right Furi, you should at least consider it! And if it turn out to be real, you can ask her to introduce us to some of her friends!" Fukuda's voice was filled with hope.

Furihata was conflicted, but the possibility of the confession being real was too hard to resist. Thinking things through again, he took a deep breath.

"Then, I'm going to see her at the rooftop after school!"  Furihata decided.  
  
.  
  
  
  


End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Confession and realisation**

 

Furihata looked at the girl standing before him. She had a timid smile on her beautiful face, warm brown eyes, rosy cheeks and glossy pink lips. Slim, petite figure… and a sweet, flowery fragrance. Everything about her seemed almost too good to be true.

 _I don't believe this! This must be a dream, right?!_ Furihata took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. He discreetly pinched his thigh through his uniform to make sure it wasn't a dream.  
  
Yet, he had to admit he was a little baffled - how could someone as cute as Tanimura Kyoko take a liking to an ordinary guy like him?!

"Erm… you're... Tanimura-san, right? The one that sent me the l-letter…" Furihata asked shyly.

"Umm… yes, it was me. I feel so embarrassed, I couldn't think of any other way of approaching you…" Tanimura admitted, tucking an unruly lock of brown hair behind her ear.

"It's alright! Your letter... m-made me happy."

"R-really? I'm glad." She giggled. "You see, the first time I took notice of you was when your team played against Kaij _ō, at the_ … Winter Cup? That's what it's called, right? Anyway, my best friend is in a Kise Ry _ō_ ta fanclub so she dragged me to watch the match even though I don't have any interest in basketball…"

"But… I looked really uncool back then, I kept stuttering and couldn't play well during the game... in the end the coach benched me again…"

"That's not true! I think you were really amazing!" Tanimura shook her head, fire in her eyes. "And… I think the way you stuttered was quite cute…"

_Cute…?_

_  
A girl called me cute?_

_  
Haaah… is this what happiness feels like? Maybe I died and went to heaven?_

"Furihata-kun, are you alright?" Tanimura asked, concerned look on her face.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine… it's just… that's the nicest thing a girl has ever said to me." Furihata said with a goofy smile, making Tanimura giggle at his response.

"So, what I wanted to say is... I like you Furihata-kun! Will you accept my confession and go out with me?" Tanimura cheeks flushed. She sent him a smile as bright and warm as the sun. Furihata's knees got weak at the sight.

He opened his mouth, about to give her his reply, but then he slowly closed it again.

"I… I'm happy that you feel this way about me," Furihata replied after a moment, "but I'm still rather surprised… could you please give me some time to think about it before I give you my answer?"

"Y-yes! Please take your time!" The smile didn't leave her face, and she didn't seemed discouraged by Furihata's words. "Then, I'm going back first!" Tanimura waved at him cheerfully as she made her way to the rooftop exit.

"Yeah, be careful on your way home…" Furihata smiled back, watching her leave the rooftop.  
  
His smile disappeared the moment she crossed the rooftop doors.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Furihata muttered to himself as he stared at the ground. He let out a big sigh. If this happened at the beginning of the school year, he would have said 'yes' right on the spot, blurting the word out before she could even introduce herself.

He didn't ask for time because he was surprised by her confession.

He was confused by the real _reason_  behind his hesitation.

He groaned as put his arm over his forehead, covering his eyes.

_Why did_ **_his_ ** _image suddenly flash before my eyes?_

 

 

It's been few days since Tanimura confessed to Furihata. She began to visit him during his afternoon basketball practices.

"Does anyone know those girls?" Koganei commented when he saw a group of girls enter the gym.

"They've been coming to watch our practices for a few days now," Izuki added.

"They've probably here to see Kagami or Izuki..." Koganei huffed, scrutinizing the group of girls.

"What does that mean?!" Hyuuga's snapped from behind Koganei. Furihata could almost see the dark aura emanating from the captain. Hyuuga put down his hand on Koganei's shoulder, his knuckles white. "Are you saying _we_ are the unpopular guys on the team?"

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that…" Koganei shook his head, trembling like a leaf.

Furihata shuddered, glad he decided not to comment. He hid behind Izuki just as the conversation started, pretending he was working on his dribble.   
  
"It's because of Furihata!" Fukuda exclaimed as he dragged Furihata forward. The ball bounced few times before it rolled towards the wall.  
  
_Fukuda! Can't you read the mood?_ Furihata scowled at his friend.  
  
"He's going out with Tanimura-san! The other girls are probably her friends, she seems like the shy type." Kawahara added.

"Kawahara, w-wait! That's not true!" Furihata croaked, trying to clear up the obvious misunderstanding. From the looks of it, Fukuda and Kawahara thought he already accepted Tanimura's confession.

"EEEEEEH?!" Koganei, Tsuchida and Izuki gaped at Furihata in amazement.

"That's right! Our Furi finally got himself a girlfriend!" Kawahara added proudly, ruffling Furihata's hair.

"Quit it! It's... not... like-" Furihata couldn't finish his sentence as Hyuuga suddenly gripped his shoulders tightly. From the corner of his eye, Furihata could see Koganei sighing in relief and taking the opportunity to walk as far away as he could.

"H-Hyuuga-senpai?" Furihata slightly trembled at the deep scowl gracing his captain's face.

"Furihata! You bastard… how dare you… how dare you get a girlfriend before me!" Hyuuga let out a low growl, and hung his head low.  
  
_This is how I die!_

Furihata shuddered in fear at Hyuuga's long silence. Suddenly, his captain raised his head.

"CONGRATULATIONS! Dammit!" Hyuuga's face was scrunched up, his expression a mixture between anguish and jealousy. The captain was biting his lower lip until it bleed, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Hyuuga-senpai! You're face is scary and it didn’t match your words!"

"I'm so envious! Why can't _I_ get a girlfriend?!" Hyuuga wailed as he tightened his grip on Furihata's shoulders.

"Hyuuga-senpai! It hurts! Besides, this is all just a big mi- ow, ow!" Furihata tried to take step back and escape, but unfortunately Hyuuga's firm grip held him in place. He sent his teammates a pleading look but suddenly all of them seemed very busy with the practice.   
  
_Traitors!_

"I need everyone's attention, there's something I want to ask you guys!" Kuroko announced, appearing out of nowhere.

Much to Furihata's relief, Hyuuga released him, turning his attention to Kuroko.

"Street basketball this Sunday?" the captain asked.

"Umm yeah, Kise-kun just sent me a text about it, seems like my other ex-teammates will be there as well."

"Street basketball?! Hell yeah!" Kagami made a fist pump, his face ecstatic.

"Kagami-kun and I will definitely join the game. What about you guys?" Kuroko asked.

"I'll go with you!" Kiyoshi declared with a big smile on his face.

"Count me in," Hyuuga said, his smile more predatory than his friend's.

"Same here," Izuki added after a pause.

"Ah, I have my part-time job that day, I'll have to pass," Koganei shook his head. "Mitobe has a family outing, he can't make it either," he added, sending Mitobe a smile.

"Sorry, I promised to help at my family's restaurant that day, " Kawahara declined the invitation as well.

"Actually, I have a middle school reunion this Sunday. Maybe next time?" Fukuda was looking a little unhappy he couldn't join them.

"I have a date… it's hard to find time to spend together so…" Tsuchida drawled, looking away from Mitobe.  
  
"What about you, Furihata-kun? Or do you have a date with Tanimura-san?" Kuroko asked.

 _Wait a minute! Why is everyone assuming I'm already going out with her?!_ _  
  
_ Intense looks he got from his teammates made Furihata feel uneasy and small. He had all of their attention, yet he couldn't find the courage to speak up and clear the misunderstanding.  
  
He will talk to them about it... just not now.

"Sunday, huh? I'll go."   
  
  


 

***Sunday*  
  
  
**

"...where's Kagami?" Hyuuga suddenly asked.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since we've arrived." Izuki shrugged and looked around.

"Sheesh, that idiot! I told him not to wander off by himself!" Hyuuga shook his head, muttering something about dog collars.

"He was probably challenged by someone; our school became pretty famous after winning the Winter Cup," Kiyoshi added.

"And where's Kuroko?"

"God knows. Shadowing Kagami?"

Hyuuga frowned at Izuki's answer.

"I'm sure they're here somewhere, playing basketball. That's what we came here for, right?" Kiyoshi said, that carefree smile on his face. "They can take care of themselves. Relax a little!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah... Oi, Furihata! Where are _you_ going?" Hyuuga turned to Furihata who was about to leave without saying anything.

"I've got to take a leak! I've been holding it in for too long!" Furihata complained.

"Alright, we'll be playing on that court, okay?" Izuki said, pointing at the nearest court.

"Okay!" Furihata replied before dashing to the restrooms.  
  


"Aaah…that's a relief," Furihata moaned in satisfaction after he finished relieving himself. He regretted drinking so much water just before boarding the bus.  
  
When he was about to push the flush button, he heard strange noises coming from the restroom entrance.

Sound of opening and closing doors, some quick footsteps. Locking of the stall door, followed by the rustling of clothes.   
  
"You idiot! What if someone's here?!" a voice hissed.

"There's no one here but us, don't be such a prude Shin-chan~" other voice replied, this one more cheerful and playful.

 _Eh…? What…?_ Furihata froze, struck by a sudden feeling of déjà-vu.

"It's a public restroom! There could be people here! You didn't even check the other stalls, what if we're found out?!"

"Hmm? But don't you think it's quite exciting? What if there are people out there and they can hear us..."  
  
_Yes! I'm here and I can hear you loud and clear! If what you're doing is what I think you're doing... please stop!  
  
_ Furihata's thoughts were a jumbled mess - he knew he had to get out of this awkward situation but it was easier said than done.

"What are you? An exhibitionist?" the first voice continued.

"Not really, checking if you are~"

"Takao!"  
  
Furihata somehow knew what was coming, but the sucking noises and deep groans still managed to take him by surprise.

 _Shit! Not again! What did I do to deserve this?_    
  
Furihata was rooted to the spot, not daring to move. He cussed under his breath, trying to block out the soft moans he heard coming from the stall.   
  
_How could they not see me? I was using an urinal, not a stall!_   
  
Furihata knew he didn't have strong presence, but he wasn't even _near_ Kuroko's level. He tried looking at the entrance of the restroom but the view was obscured by the stall next to him. If he craned his neck, he could see some of it though.  
  
_Okay, so maybe it's possible they couldn't see me. Still, they should have checked the damn bathroom first! Simple 'hello, is anybody here' would have sufficed!_  
  
Furihata couldn't believe his luck. First he almost walked on Kuroko and Kagami making out in the locker room, now this...

And... what did they say earlier? 'Takao'? As in... Takao Kazunari from [Shūtoku](http://kurokonobasuke.wikia.com/wiki/Sh%C5%ABtoku_High)?   
  
And 'Shin-chan'? Midorima _Shintarō’s_ nickname? One that Takao always uses?  
  
Furihata was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. It wasn't hard to deduce that throaty moans, grunts and whimpers coming from the stall belonged to [Shūtoku](http://kurokonobasuke.wikia.com/wiki/Sh%C5%ABtoku_High)'s superstitious shooting guard and a laid-back point guard.

"They are _so_ gonna fuck," a voice whispered, snickering.  
  
Furihata startled, cringing at the crude words. He looked to his left, towards the source of the voice. The person standing at the other end of the urinals was none other than Aomine Daiki.  
  
_How did they not see him?!_

Before he could respond, Furihata heard one of the stalls open and saw Kise Ry _ō_ uta quietly making his way to the restroom sink. The blond stopped his steps abruptly and blinked when he spotted Furihata and Aomine.  
  
At the same time all the sounds coming from the stall occupied by the [Shūtoku](http://kurokonobasuke.wikia.com/wiki/Sh%C5%ABtoku_High) pair ceased.  
  
"Did you... hear that?" came a whisper from the stall.

Furihata noticed Kise waving at him and Aomine, trying to get their attention. The blond brought his index in front of his mouth, asking them to be quiet. The blond then gestured towards the sink and to the door.   
  
Furihata nodded, finally getting out of the dazed state. He walked towards the sink with heavy but quiet steps. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aomine following closely behind.  
  
"You're imagining things Shin-chan, there's no one-" the voice halted when Kise turned the faucet on.  
  
The blond quickly washed his hands, not bothering with drying them, before getting out of the restroom. Furihata did the same, almost walking into Aomine in his hurry.  
  
The taller male started snickering, covering his mouth with his hand to prevent any sounds from escaping. It was a mystery to Furihata how one could find such an awkward situation amusing.

Furihata walked around the sniggering male, took a last look at the suspiciously quiet stall, and stepped outside.

 

*Outside*

  
  
"W-what was that, earlier?!" Furihata looked from Kise to Aomine. They were standing near the vending machines, far away from the restrooms.

"I knew something was up! That Midorimacchi..." Kise muttered to himself, ignoring the brunet. "Ugh, everyone is getting some! First Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi, then Mido-"

"You know about Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun?!" Furihata was somewhat surprised.  
  
"Well, for quite some time now."  
  
"Got us by surprise too... If that Bakagami does something to hurt Tetsu..."Aomine growled, clearly annoyed.

"S-so… about earlier…" Furihata repeated his question.  
  
"Don't tell me you still need the birds and the bees talk?" Aomine snorted.

Kise rolled his eyes at his ex-teammate and turned to Furihata. "Well, I didn't know for sure what sort of relationship they had. I mean... I knew there was something between them but asking would have been pointless. Umm, I guess _that_ confirms it."

"Now that I think about it, Midorima always refused to participate in our little games. You know, when some girl walked by and we guessed the colour of her panties or the size of her boobs."

"He wasn't the only one; Akashicchi thought it was beneath him and Kurokocchi seemed to vanish into thin air when those games started." Kise sighed. "You and Murasakibaracchi were the only ones who enjoyed that kind of conversation."

"You make it look like you never joined in!"

"Only occasionally! You two were doing it almost every single day!"

"So… are you guys an item too?" the question escaped Furihata's lips.   
  
Kise and Aomine stopped their bickering to give the brunet a horrified stare.

"What?!" they shouted at the same time, similar genuine surprise painting their faces.

"I assumed you guys were going out since you get along so well... and I often see you two together..." Furihata mumbled the words, their stares making him feel uneasy.  
  
_Since_ _both_ _of them seemed unaffected by Kuroko's and Midorima's love lives..._ _  
  
__No, that's wrong!  
  
__The brunet bit his lip slightly. He didn't realize until now how ignorant his thinking was.  
  
__Being accepting of your friend's same-sex relationship is normal! Assuming someone's gay because they don't have a problem with it is plain stupid._

"Me? With this… unoriginal copycat?"

"Me? With this… perverted delinquent?"

Aomine and Kise spoke in synch, while pointing at each other. Their faces came uncomfortably close to Furihata's own as they stared him down.

"So... you're not?" Furihata asked, just to be sure.

"Of course not! Don't just assume stuff like that!" Kise exclaimed, giving him a slightly irritated look.

"Like hell! More like, he ends up dragging me around!" Aomine frowned, looking away.

"Besides, my heart already belongs to my precious Kasamatsu-senpai!" the blond added with a dreamy smile. "Lately, instead of pain I've been feeling nothing but immense pleasure every time he kicks me, aaaah… could this be... love?"

_No! That's a sign that you're slowly turning into a complete masochist!_

Furihata sent Aomine a look full of disbelief, wondering if he heard the blond correctly. Aomine shrugged in response, giving Kise pity glances.

"Ah… it's Kise-chin and Mine-chin…" a new voice said.

Furihata turned around, spotting a very tall figure standing few steps away. The brunet recognized him immediately - it was Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise and Aomine's ex-teammate.

"Murasakibaracchi!" Kise waved cheerfully.

"Oh, you're here too?" Aomine replied casually.

"I heard that everyone would be here, including Aka-chin," Murasakibara said with unfinished umaibo stick hanging from the side of his mouth. He was standing next to one of the vending machines, rummaging through his pockets.

"Eh? Akashicchi too?!"

_Akashi-san is here?_ _Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to see him on the court._

"So, if Kuro-chin is here... that means Kagami Taiga is here as well, right?" Murasakibara continued munching on his stick, finally fishing some coins out of his pocket and promptly inserting them into the vending machine. He picked some snacks and when they came out he hid them in his bag.

Furihata gulped at the sight of Murasakibara, Aomine and Kise chatting before him. Even though Akashi wasn't present and they were talking casually, the brunet could still feel that weird pressure he experienced when he accidentally attended their reunion just before the Winter Cup.

He felt an urge to get away from there as fast as he could.  
  
Furihata's wish came somewhat true as the trio before him started making their way towards the courts. The brunet followed after them, not wanting to make Hyuuga and the others worry with his long absence.

Furihata stopped his steps at the edge of the court while the trio approached the Seirin's regulars standing in a group near one of the baskets. The brunet saw Kise and Aomine making a small talk with Kuroko; Murasakibara stood next to them, munching on yet another snack.   
  
Someone smacked Furihata's back lightly.  
  
"Here you are!" Izuki said, smiling. The sleeves of his jumper were rolled up and he was holding a basketball in his hands."You were gone for so long, we thought you were kidnapped or something."  
  
"I..." Furihata didn't want to talk about the reason for his absence. "I m-met Kise-kun and Aomine-san... and s-since they were waiting for Musa- umm, Murasakibara-san..." The brunet lied, gesturing towards the court.  
  
"Oh, they're already here," Izuki said, looking at the court. "Kagami somehow arranged for us to play a quick match against the Generation of Miracles! Well, _former_ members if you're into semantics."  
  
"Really?! How did he manage that..."   
  
"We won't win, that's a given," Izuki added, "but we might score some points since they're probably out of synch with each other; I doubt they've played together since their Teik _ō days. Still, we might learn something new that will help us next year."_  
  
Someone bumped into Furihata, making him look around, only now noticing how many people had gather around the court. He wasn't surprised though; a match between GoM and Seirin wasn't something one would want to miss.  
  
"Well, come on, before our dear Captain decides to tear us a new one."   
  
"W-wait!" Furihata exclaimed, making Izuki pause. "I... I'm going to stay here and watch, okay?"  
  
Izuki slightly frowned, but before he could say anything, Furihata added:  
  
"There's no need for me to go. B-besides, it's getting pretty crowded, finding a new observation point would be difficult. Just... tell the team I'm okay and watching." Furihata smiled, hoping his act was convincing enough. "Good luck!"  
  
Izuki sent him weird look, "Are you sur-"  
  
"Izuki!" Kiyoshi shouted, waving cheerfully.  
  
Izuki sighed. "If that's what you want... We better hear you cheering, though! Most of those guys came to see the other team."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Now go!" Furihata gave Izuki a light clap on the back to get him moving.  
  
Izuki smiled and rushed towards the rest of the team.   
  
The brunet released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Either Izuki was too distracted with the promise of the match or Furihata was getting better at lying. He hoped it was the latter.  
  
He did felt bad about doing it but he couldn't just... walk there and stand by their side.   
  
Each of them had some unique skill or talent, but all Furihata could do is rely on his teammates and only function to support them. And even at that he was pretty average.  
  
Furihata was pulled from his thoughts by the crowd almost buzzing with excitement. He looked at the court and saw dishevelled Midorima hurrying towards where Kise and Aomine stood. Their interaction seemed normal so Furihata guessed the [Shūtoku](http://kurokonobasuke.wikia.com/wiki/Sh%C5%ABtoku_High)'s shooting guard didn't know they've accidentally eavesdropped on him and Takao.  
  
Suddenly, all the whispers ceased. Furihata could think of only one person who could cause such a reaction.  
  
Akashi Seijūrō walked on to the court, wearing burgundy hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. It was weird for Furihata to see the redhead in casual tracksuit - when he thought about Akashi in relation to basketball he always imagined the redhead in his white and light blue Rakuzan's basketball uniform.   
  
The crowd started cheering when the players got into their positions, with Kagami, Aomine and some older guy who was acting as a referee staying in the centre of the court.   
  
As he heard the whistle and saw the ball rise into the air, all Furihata could think about was how badly he wanted to be one of the regulars and play against the GoM.   
  
Be on the court because he earned it, not because his awkward playing style could throw the other team off their game. Not because he would slow the pace. Not because one of the regulars was worn out or got injured.  
  
Because he _deserved_ to stand there, with the rest of them. Because he was good enough.

But he wasn't or at least not yet; and watching them play wasn't going to change that.  
  
Furihata turned away from the match and made his way through the roused crowd, before the ball hit the ground.

 

 

"Haah…" the brunet sighed.  
  
Furihata didn't know if he was exhausted because of the physical exertion or the amount of thoughts racing through his head.   
  
He was practicing his shooting on a empty court, good distance from his team and their match against the GoM.  
  
Furihata decided it was better for him to practice instead of idly watching the game. Not that he wouldn't learn a thing or two from seeing the others playing - he just liked exercising more. That burn in his muscles, slick sweat on his body, feeling you almost can't go on but doing it anyways. Pushing his limits. It was relaxing, if not for the exhaustion and soreness that lingered for days after.  
  
The exercises only preoccupied his body though, never his mind.  
  
And no matter how hard he thought about it, it still didn't make much sense.

He was getting used to Kagami and Kuroko being in a relationship.

But the rest of Kuroko's ex-teammates?  
  
_I knew that Midorima and Takao from_[ _Shūtoku_](http://kurokonobasuke.wikia.com/wiki/Sh%C5%ABtoku_High) _were close friends, but I didn't know they were that _close_!_

_And who would've thought someone like Kise-kun - a model who's always surrounded by a horde fangirls - was chasing after a guy? On top of that, none other than Kasamatsu-san?!_

For Furihata the biggest surprise was Aomine's behaviour though, and how calm and accepting he was about everything. Even that accident at the restroom didn't throw him off.

_Aah… I missed…_

Furihata basketball skills were average, he didn't have any obvious talents other than controlling the pace of the game.  
  
But... it wasn't enough, not anymore. If he wanted to be useful, he had to work hard. Building up stamina took time, lots of repeated exercises and pushing himself just right - an injury would only set him back. Practicing shooting was always good, but in the end it was more of a requirement.

The ball hit the ground with a loud thud and Furihata followed it with a lazy gaze; it bounced a little until it stopped beside a pair of unfamiliar sneakers.

"Good afternoon Furihata. It's nice to see you again,"Akashi Seijūrō greeted him.

"Akashi-san! Good afternoon!" Furihata managed to response without stuttering. It was surprising to see the redhead here; was the match already over?

Akashi picked up the ball and walked towards Furihata.

"What are you doing by yourself in this… deserted corner?" the redhead asked, his voice becoming softer with his next words. "I didn't see you at the game, I thought you changed your mind and decided not to come..."

 _How did he knew I would be here in the first place?_   
  
The brunet was about to ask that, but he realized Kuroko still talked with Akashi regularly and he was probably the one who told him. Furihata imagined the redhead would have wanted to know who would be present today, probably foreseeing the match.  
  
Furihata shrugged and scratched his cheek. "W-well, since it was going to be a short game I wouldn't be subbed in anyway, so… I figured I could practice shooting…"

"You won't be able to make a successful shot like that." Akashi shook his head."Your form is too stiff; you need to flex your knees, rise up from your toes and remember to follow up with _just_ your index finger."  
  
The redhead let the sports bag hanging from his shoulder drop to the ground.

"Here, let me show you." Akashi leaped smoothly in the air and released the shot, successfully scoring. The redhead made it look so easy, his form fluid and free-flowing.

Akashi caught the ball that bounced back, before turning and passing it to Furihata.  
  
"Try it," the redhead said, nodding.

"Umm, yes!"

Furihata took a deep breath to calm himself, and keeping in mind everything Akashi remarked upon he jumped, releasing the shot. Unfortunately, he used too much power - the ball bounced from the ring and hit him straight in the face. Hard.

"Ouch!" Furihata shut his eyes in pain as he landed on the hard ground, almost losing his footing. The brunet's hands automatically flew to his face to check if his nose wasn't broken.

"Hmph… ahahahahahaha!"   
  
Furihata turned to the redhead when he heard the laughter. He couldn't do anything but gape at the scene before him.

 _Akashi Seijūrō is... laughing!_  
  
Akashi twisted away from Furihata and covered his mouth with his hand, but he couldn't stop the laughter from escaping his lips.  
  
It was a first time Furihata saw Akashi laugh so... freely. Akashi gave the brunet a small smile or a chuckle once or twice but this was different - the redhead's laughter was uncontrollable and right from the heart, the kind that made your stomach hurt.

Akashi tended to act like an adult, preferring to keep his emotions under strict control. Furihata didn't know Akashi long, but from what he gathered and from what Kuroko told him, the redhead always held himself back, even around his friends.

Witnessing the redhead's stoic yet kind face lighting up with amusement was enticing. He didn't know why, but seeing Akashi like that made Furihata feel warm and happy.

"Please excuse my improper... reaction to your unfortunate accident," Akashi said after a moment. Even if the redhead stopped laughing, the smile stayed on his face. "I must admit, you're without a doubt the most amusing person I've ever met."

"Eeeh… huh…?" Furihata suddenly felt hot all over. Should he take it as a compliment?

"Are you alright?" Akashi frowned a little, taking few steps closer.

Furihata tilted his head slightly to the side at the question, his train of thought suddenly stopping. His nose decided it was the perfect time to start bleeding like a stuck pig, the blood making its way down his chin and dripping on his white shirt.

"Eh?! Ah!" Furihata quickly covered his nose, looking slightly away. Why did he always had to look so uncool in front of the redhead?

"Here… you should use this." Akashi said, handing the brunet his maroon silk handkerchief.

"Umm… I… thank you very much." Furihata took the cloth, quickly using it to wipe some of the blood from his chin and lips, then kept it under his nose with one hand, successfully stopping the bleeding.  
  
Akashi observed Furihata's movements, something playful in his gaze.

"Was that a natural talent?" Akashi teased.

First thing that popped into Furihata's head was 'No, but tripping on hard surfaces is' - he felt too nervous to actually say it though, especially in front of the redhead.

"Eh?! I… ah…"  
  
Akashi sent him an inquiring look, patiently waiting for an answer. Furihata took a step forward - _because he never learned -_ and tripped again, bumping into Akashi and dragging the redhead down with him.  
  
It wasn't as painful as Furihata expected it to be, but he felt a slight tug at where he was previously stabbed; other than that Akashi cushioned most of the fall.

Furihata hovered over the redhead, their legs tangled. He lifted himself up slightly, leaning on his left forearm, his hand still clutching the bloodied handkerchief. Furihata vaguely noticed strong fingers brushing against his sides as they held onto the lower part of his white shirt.   
  
"Waaah! I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you alright?! Did you hurt your head?!" Furihata apologized, feeling utterly guilty and also worry at the same time.  
  
"I'm fine…" Akashi replied after a moment. The redhead didn't sound upset or angry, just a little surprised.

Suddenly, Furihata remembered that time he faced Akashi in the finals; instead of falling on top of Akashi though, Furihata fell on the hard wooden floor. He hated how intimidated and anxious he became under pressure, always ending up doing something stupid.

"Umm… could you move, please?" Akashi asked in a soft voice.

"Ah, y-yeah, of course…"

Furihata splayed his right hand near Akashi's head, to push himself up. "Are you sure you're alright though? I heard something hit the ground really ha-"

Furihata sentence was cut short when his hand accidentally slipped, making him lose balance and nearly headbutt the redhead. The brunet was about to apologize again, but couldn't get a word out as he caught Akashi staring at him, his gaze intense.

Neither of them moved or said anything, almost nonexistent gap between their faces making their breaths mingle. The smell of unfamiliar fabric softener, blood and sweat hung in the air.

Furihata unconsciously licked his lips, tasting copper on his tongue. Akashi's pupils dilated and his breath hitched. Furihata felt the fingers on the hem of his shirt tighten.  
  
Suddenly, Akashi shifted underneath him, making Furihata realize what he was about to do. The brunet quickly stood up and took a few steps back.  
  
"I'm s-sorry!" he bowed his head, his whole face flushed red. His mind was a mess and his heart was beating too fast. Furihata didn't dare to look at the redhead, his eyes glued to the ground.

"I... it's alright…" Akashi said flushed a little as he standing up and dusting his clothes off.   
  
"Are y-you thirsty? I'm going to buy something to drink, do you w-want some?" Furihata added, feeling the need to escape the situation. He felt too embarrassed and he needed to clear his head.

"...tea would be nice."

"Alright t-then." Furihata nodded, stealing a quick, nervous glance at Akashi. How did the redhead seemed unperturbed as ever with his impassive mask after _that_ is clearly beyond him. "I'll be right back," he promised before taking off to the nearby vending machine.  
  
As he made it to the other side of the court, Furihata sighed and let himself relax a little. He also slowed his jog to avoid tripping; he embarrassed himself more than enough today.  
  
Furihata had hoped that getting away from Akashi would make him calm down, but it made it even worse, with his mind racing and firing off questions he couldn't even begin to process.

_What the hell was that?! Why did I want to kiss a guy?! Was I going to k- wait, no... what?!_

Furihata had to admit Akashi was attractive; with his slim but strong build, red silky hair and those perceptive crimson eyes. And there was his - or at least, _this_ Akashi - personality: outspoken, well mannered, kind and respectful.

Furihata admired the redhead and liked to think they were more than simple acquaintances, but he didn't want to seem pushy or even worse, _presumptuous_ , and call them friends. Why Akashi was hanging out with him was still a mystery to Furihata, but at least he knew the redhead enough to know it wasn't out of pity.  
  
_But... one wouldn't think about kissing their friend...  
_  
It would have been an entirely different story if Akashi was a girl. Thinking about kissing girls was familiar to Furihata, it was _safe_ ; and... thinking about kissing Akashi was like uncharted waters. Difficult to navigate, and something he never even considered doing before.  
  
As Furihata stopped before the vending machine, his thoughts took another turn.

 _For a moment he had that look in his eye_ _s… almost like he wanted or even expected me to do something... like leaning down and ki-  
_  
Furihata shook his head few times, trying to get rid of impure thoughts. He should stop imagining such improbable things.

" _I must be out of my mind_..." the brunet muttered as he inserted coins into the vending machine.  


 

 

As Akashi took a seat on the bench, he put his and Furihata's sports bags near his feet. He looked over to Furihata, but the brunet was still busy with buying drinks.

Akashi touched his lips, sliding his finger back and forth over the smooth surface. He couldn't help but to think about what had transpired between them.

_Did I want him to kiss me?_

  
The redhead knew the ball wouldn't get in - even if the brunet had corrected his stance, he had forgotten about the timing of his release. Managing to hit the ring at such angle that the ball had bounced back and had smacked Furihata right in the face?   
  
Akashi still didn't know if it was pure talent or the brunet was just prone to such unfortunate accidents.   
  
It was the brunet's face that had made Akashi uncontrollably laugh though; it hadn't shown surprise but rather... resignation. Like Furihata had accepted the turn of the events as something undesirable yet inevitable. As if something similar had happened - many, many times before.  
  
Akashi had been too distracted by Furihata's earlier... accident, to react in time to the brunet's stumbling. He had tried catching Furihata by the shirt, but the brunet had fell like a stone, taking Akashi with him.  
  
_Did I want him to kiss me?_

Akashi knew he was stalling, avoiding the question, choosing to fill his head with inconsequential thoughts.  
  
He wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to know the answer.  
  
_Did I want him to kiss me?_  
  
Furihata's hand had slipped and Akashi had seen those brown, apologetic eyes go wide, had seen those pupils dilate. Probably, for the first time in his life he hadn't wanted to react in any way, knowing, he would have ruined it somehow.  
  
Then, Furihata had licked his lips.   
  
Akashi's heart had started beating so loud, he had been sure the brunet had heard it, especially with their close proximity. His fingers had clenched a little, his mouth had gone dry.  
  
He had thought Furihata would lean down and kiss him.   
  
The brunet had stood up instead, apologized and escaped Akashi's company under the pretence of wanting to buy something to drink.  
  
Akashi knew he shouldn't expect things like _that_ from a person he wasn't in a committed relationship with. It was improper and would create unnecessary misunderstandings.   
  
Akashi looked down at his hands. His own thoughts and actions made him confused.  
  
_Who was Furihata Kōki to me?_  
  


 

"By the way, my mom still wants to throw a small dinner to celebrate my recovery. She would love for you to come," Furihata said as he handed Akashi his tea. The brunet took a seat on the bench and opened his own drink. That weird atmosphere from before was gone for the most part, and he had to stop himself from sighing in relief.

"Thank you," Akashi smiled. "Dinner does sound nice and I appreciate your offer, but…" the redhead frowned a little, "I can't make you any promises, my schedule is pretty tight …"

"It's f-fine! It's alright, I m-mean, you can come whenever!" Furihata shook his head, slightly cringing at the stutter. Furihata didn't want Akashi to think he was pressuring him, he understood that the redhead was very busy, but at the same time he wanted Akashi to come.

"Hmm…" Akashi opened his drink and took a sip. "Would you mind giving me your phone number then? So I can message you when I'm free."

"Number? O-oh! Of course! My cellphone…" Furihata patted his sweatpants, and remembered he left it inside his bag.  
  
He bent down, opened the smaller pocket of his sports bag and took out his phone. As Furihata turned it on - he had to switch it off earlier, he didn't want to be distracted - the brunet heard a familiar voice calling him from afar.

"Oi! Furihata! There you are!" Kagami said as he walked toward to where they were sitting.   
  
"Kagami-kun, what brings you here?" Furihata asked, a little surprised.   
  
The taller redhead nodded at Akashi before turning to Furihata. "Hyūga-senpai was looking for you, he couldn't find you after the match and thought something happened. Izuki-senpai assured him you two talked-"  
  
Furihata startled badly, almost dropping his phone as it started buzzing madly and announcing at least ten new messages. He checked the inbox, a little worried it could be his mom, but all new texts were from one person only.  
  
"When did you get so popular? Or are they from our Captain?" Kagami asked, tilting his head a little.

"I'm n-not, I mean, y-yeah they're from Hyuga-senpai," Furihata lied, quickly going back to the main screen. "Sometimes he just worries too much, haha..." the brunet chuckled, but even to his own ears it sounded false. He looked at Akashi, but the redhead remained silent as he watched their exchange.  
  
"I see..." Kagami replied, nodding.  
  
Furihata relaxed and at the same time felt the taller redhead snatching the phone from his hands.  
  
"I see you really suck at lying!" Kagami snorted, took a step back as he looked at the phone's screen. When Furihata rushed out of his seat and tried to take the phone back, the taller redhead raised the phone higher out of Furihata’s reach and put his other hand on Furihata's head, holding the brunet back. "I told them earlier to text you, but Hyuuga-senpai said it would be a waste of time; he saw you turn your phone off in the bus."

"Don't you know the word 'privacy' Kagami ?! Give it back!" Furihata huffed, trying to get a hold of Kagami's forearm. Where was Kuroko when you needed him?  
  
"I won't read them, just checking who sent them... Where the heck is your inbox?"  
  
"And I'm telling you not to!" Furihata looked around for help but Akashi was the only person around. Very _amused_ Akashi, Furihata noticed.   
  
He narrowed his eyes, but the redhead sent him a look that pretty much translated to 'what do you want me to do? he's your teammate, not mine; he wouldn't listen to me anyway'. Furihata puffed his cheeks and turned back to Kagami.  
  
"Kagami-kun, I'm serious, give it back!"  
  
"Kagami Taiga-kun," Furihata heard Akashi say, tone polite, "you're acting-"  
  
"Got it!" Kagami exclaimed, smiling in triumph.   
  
Furihata felt nauseous as he watched Kagami's smile become a smirk. He took a big breath, mentally preparing himself for the oncoming onslaught.  
  
"Kagami-kun it's not what you-"  
  
"So it was your girlfriend, huh? That's what you didn't want me to see?" Kagami chortled, returning the phone back.   
  
"No, Kaga-"  
  
"You see, our Furihata here got himself a girlfriend." Kagami explained as he turned to Akashi. "No wonder he got so many messages from her, they've been really lovey-dovey with each other lately. She always comes to watch our practice after school, well, more like she comes to watch you practice, Furihata~" Kagami gave the brunet a healthy smack on the back.

"Kagami-kun! That's no- mmphh!" Before Furihata had a chance to finish, Kagami almost smothered him with a friendly headlock.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"Oi! I don't have the whole day!" A voice shouted from another court. Furihata turned his head and saw Aomine standing there with a ball.

"Give me a minute!" Kagami yelled back as he released the brunet from his grip. He turned to Furihata. "Oh, and don't be at her beck and call, play hard to get! Girls like that. Ah, and don't forget about Hyuuga-senpai, he's probably still searching for you. Catch you later!"  
  
Furihata stood there, watching Kagami sprint towards the other curt. The brunet couldn't make himself look at Akashi, averting his eyes from the moment Kagami mentioned Tanimura. He didn't know why, but Akashi thinking he was going out with Tanimura somehow bothered him, made him feel awkward.  
  
_Did Kagami had to butt in like that?  
  
_ In reality it wasn't really Kagami's fault - the phone was just another nail in the coffin; if only Furihata denied the rumours right from the start... The funny thing was, that it wasn't even Furihata's idea - in order to get to know each other better, Tanimura suggested exchanging numbers and Furihata hesitantly agreed. She began texting him every day and lately the number of texts increased to an annoying level.  
  
Furihata shook his head - he had to say something, the misunderstanding won't clear up by itself.  
  
"Umm... Akashi-san… a-about earlier…" Furihata turned around, and squeaked when he saw Akashi standing only two steps away.  
  
_When did he get so close?!_

"Congratulations, I wish you two all the best." Akashi smiled - but it was poignant and tinged with sadness.

The moment Furihata caught that look on Akashi's face, a sharp pain struck his chest.

"Wait, I-"  
  
"Would you mind lending me your phone?" Akashi cut in. The redhead held his hand out, his other one already holding his own phone.

Furihata movements were automatic as he put the device on the outstretched palm. He felt cold all over; he bowed his head slightly, looking at the nimble fingers typing something but not really seeing them, lost in thought.  
  
He didn't like the atmosphere between them - Akashi seemed to revert to his polite and proper self, his tone of voice a tad colder to what Furihata was used to. It's like all the progress they've made since the evening of the unfortunate accident disappeared, leaving Furihata with a sour taste in his mouth.

Akashi's phone started ringing, but it stopped just as suddenly it started. Furihata raised his head and saw the redhead type something on his own phone.  
  
"Here," Akashi said, giving Furihata his phone back, "we both have each other's numbers now.  
I'll make sure to notify you when I'm free so we can arrange something."  
  
"Alright…"

"I should head back, I promised my ex-teammates I would spend some time with them." Akashi said without missing a beat. He turned around, took the empty can from where he left it on the bench and threw it in the trash bin right next to it. Akashi took his sports bag and hung it on his shoulder. "I look forward to our next meeting," he said, giving Furihata a slight nod. Not waiting for a response the redhead left towards the other courts.

"Umm… y-yeah… take care…" Furihata managed to stutter out, not sure if Akashi even heard him. Furihata looked down at his phone, and relaxed his tight grip on it.

_Did Akashi-san look... hurt? Or was it just my imagination?_

Furihata gritted his teeth as yet another set of various questions he was unable to answer kept firing off in his head.

 

  


Akashi stood nearly a minute next to his ex-teammate before he got noticed - Midorima startled, almost dropping his canned soda. He was standing in the shade of the tree, near the court where Kise and Takao were showing each other some basketball tricks.  
  
"Akashi? Where have you been?"  
  
"I went to get something to drink." It was an obvious lie and they both knew it.

"What's with that face? Is there something bothering you?" Midorima tried to hide it by clearing his throat, but there was clear concern in his voice.

"There's nothing wrong, why would you ask me that?" Akashi crossed his arms, and stood a little straighter.

"Really? You seem kind of upset."

"Is that so?"

"It's kind of strange, considering almost nothing can make you lose your composure." Midorima continued as he fixed the position of his glasses.  
  
Akashi wanted to frown, but he knew it would only lead to more questions. Instead, he put on his usual mask of indifference and sent Midorima a look saying the conversation was over. He knew he was being rude, but he just wasn't in the mood for talking.  
  
Midorima huffed and rolled his eyes. He backed off, redirecting his gaze back to Takao and Kise.  
  
Unfortunately, Akashi's mind was a different story as it kept mulling over the time he spent with the brunet. In particular, there was one question that he couldn't find an answer to.

 _Why does it bother me so much that Furihata-kun has a girlfriend?_  


 

 

### Notes:

I always believed Midorima to be a pretty decent guy who would never do inappropriate things like that in a public place, so it was obviously Takao's idea. I guess I should lighten up the story with few additional side pairings.

FuriAka and AkaFuri shippers often forget this, but Kuroko's not the only potential love rival, frankly, he's not the strongest one either. If I had to list someone I'd say the strongest one would be Mayuzumi - he's in the same school as Akashi and they had a lot of time to interact with each other. The second on the list would be the former captain of Teiko, Nijimura, one of the characters that GoM respects. He appears only in a flashback but his presence as a character is pretty strong. He's probably the only senior that Akashi respected enough, and not think of as a subordinate/pawn.

Also for those who still might be confused: Akashi that appears in The Fool and the King, at least until this chapter is the real Akashi, the one with red eyes (not the heterochromatic ones).

He uses 'Ore' instead of 'Boku' when he addresses himself; with friends/comrades he uses their surname and not their first name.

### Actions

 

 

 

  
  



End file.
